Redemption
by Anonymous Companion
Summary: S.H.I.E.L.D BASE PUENTE ANTINGUO (2012): Loki arrives on Earth with the intent to rule as its King. His plans are only bettered when he comes face to face with a perplexing astrophysicist who doesn't like the go down without a fight. Jane Foster doesn't even know what she has got herself into by making herself a target of the dark prince of Asgard. (Avengers&beyond..LOKANE)
1. So It Begins Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything Thor, Avengers, or Norse Mythology nor make any money of of this. All rights for the movies belong to Marvel.

**Rated T:** Well duh, I mean you saw that. There will be violence, mayham, crazyness, action, suspence, romance (this isn't 50 shades here...but I would say hitting the PG-13 mark), sci-fi, crazay monsters, angry gods, pissed off Furyness, Loki (radiating with alll his beauty and badboyness), The Aven- *ehem* okay now I'm getting ahead of myself... ;)

**A/N: ****_This chapter serves as part 1 of the first chapter_** (well I guess you could say "teaser" of what is to come) just to set the stage and such. If you watched Avengers, this chapter is pretty much Loki's entrance told from his perspective and thoughts with a slight twist at the end. Don't worry, I'll have the next chapter up soon and it will defiantly be longer but I'd love to hear responses to this (especially my view on Loki).

Enjoy!

* * *

_If you take a life do you know what you'll give?_

_Odds are you won't like what it is_

_When the storm arrives would you be seen with me_

_By the merciless eyes of deceit?_

- lyrics from the song, "You Know My Name"

* * *

_So It Begins_

Loki felt the wind beneath his cape still as he kneeled motionless on a glass panel, with one hand to his side, the other clutching a scepter. Blue flames scurried across his back as his vision cleared. A sadistic smile played upon the god's lips. The first step of his plan was complete.

The Tesseract had worked and now he could finally begin. Too long Loki had waited for this moment. By his newly acquired power, he had successful traveled through time and space without the use of the Bifrost. Soon, Earth would be under his command and all would worship him for the god he truly was.

Loki lifted his head from its rigid position, still smiling, and observed what lay before his eyes. Humans hid behind desks and large machinery while a hand full of guards bravely held weapons poised and aimed. Loki found it amusing that mere mortals even thought of challenging him. They had no idea what power he possessed now that the Tesseract was at his command. Loki looked back and forth between the guards who now inched their way closer to his kneeled position. The smile wiped off of his face. He was going to enjoy gutting the unworthy humans in this room within the next minute.

"Sir," a voice boomed from in front of him. "Please put down the spear."

Loki jolted away from his thoughts. His eyes came to focus on a tall, impressive looking, dark skinned man dressed in entirely in black, leather robes with an eye patch over his left eye. _Spear? _Loki thought quizzically. He looked down at his staff; a piece of craftsmanship itself with an intricate, golden design that held a glowing blue orb at the center of it. Pure power radiated from its core, filling Loki's senses as he inhaled. The corners of his mouth twitched upward in amusement. '_Spear' is it then? Well...this is going to be...__**fun**__._

Loki thrust the staff foreword, generating an electric blue blast.

A man with an archer's bow rammed into the man with the eye patch, causing them both to miss the blast. Men began to open fire at Loki. The god growled and leapt into the air, plunging his staff into the nearest soldier. The soldier dropped to the floor, motionless. He whipped the staff behind him, deflecting more bullets and sending them back into the chests of the soldiers who fired at him. Power driven, Loki sent another blast in front of him, killing two workers who hid behind the desks. With another burst of energy, his staff detonated another blow onto three more guards, and he personally kicked a nearest soldier to the wall, not even flinching to the sound of a back cracking.

Loki held his body in a defense position, looking frantically around him and waiting for more to attack.

But no more came.

Where a lab once stood, a sight of death now took its place.

Countless of lifeless bodies littered the stone floor. Sparks of electricity sputtered from open cables strewn on the broken desks. Small fires lit the back area of the room and a thin layer of smoke hung above in the air.

Loki snapped his head to where a young man began to stand painfully, clutching his abdomen. The man's bow, now broken, sat several feet away from his reach. Within a second, Loki appeared in front of the soldier, grabbing his forearm. The soldier attempted to resist even though he knew it was futile.

_Very quick...very diligent._ Loki mused. He looked into the young man eyes, which bore fury and passion even before someone as powerful as Loki.

Loki nodded approvingly. "You have heart," he rasped, realizing his body was still churning with the overexertion of the Tesseract's power flowing in his veins.

Loki lifted the staff to the young man's heart and closed his eyes. _Obey me, _he ordered silently, letting the command seep into the soldier's mind. The staff's orb glowed and its power crept from the tip of the scepter's blade into the heart of the man, infusing his chest with a blue light. The light crept slowly upwards into the man's head, filling his eyes with a black inky color before turning his irises into an unearthly pale-blue shade.

The soldier's arm relaxed beneath Loki's grip. The Prince sighed and smiled triumphantly, taking the staff off of the soldier's heart. The power of his staff transformed the man's mind into a submissive one that bent to Loki's will. The soldier would now obey anything at Loki's command.

Loki turned to the next guard who was too shaken to speak or move. Loki placed the staff over the guard's heart and transformed her mind as well. The guard straightened up and looked to him for orders. Loki smirked at the simplicity of his action and even admired the human minds' capacity of..._adaption_. Suddenly, Loki felt a shift in the Tesseract's power from behind his back. He felt it flux slightly as if being moved.

Then came the sound of a metal click, like a case being closed. Loki straightened his back. "Please don't," he said kindly, with the words dripping in his deadliest compulsion magic. He heard a sharp intake of breath. Loki grinned and turned around.

A young woman stood before him with her back turned to him. Her black skirt and white shirt were smudged with soot and lightly burned in some places. Her brunette hair was wrapped tightly in a bun at the base of her neck. She tightly gripped a silver case in her right hand. Loki could feel the Tesseract pulsating with power from inside of the case.

"Face me," Loki commanded, hearing his voice echo off of the cement walls.

The young woman shivered with fear, feeding into Loki's satisfaction. With a deep breath, she turned around, letting her eyes meet his in a small measure of defiance.

Her pettiness stood out by her small, yet curvy figure. Soft, brown tendrils of silky hair framed her face, making her brown eyes appear all the more innocent and entrancing. Loki narrowed his eyes. The innocence and calmness of her expression agitated him.

"You don't need to do this," she whispered, attempting to control her voice from cracking.

Her courage, although futile, was admirable and amusing in the situation to Loki. By her expression, Loki knew she would break easily underneath his power. Loki grinned slowly, enjoying her pale at the sight of it.

The god of mischief was going to enjoy his task at breaking this young woman's spirit.

* * *

_1 hour before Loki's invasion..._

Scientist Jane Foster stared at her computer screen completely and utterly frustrated. She messaged the temples around eyes, trying to relieve the pressure pounding on her head. For last three hours, the cube readings have been stone silent, feeding into Jane's disappointment.

Jane didn't know what to expect when SHIELD showed up on her doorstep six months ago. Well, for one thing, she did give them a piece of her mind about all her equipment they stole. Although it was the first time anyone had even given the slightest interest in her research, but it was not the reaction she wanted. Scientists had gone so far to call Jane crazy for her belief in the ability to travel through time and space. She wanted to slam the door in their face, but Doctor Erik Selvig, her mentor, convinced her otherwise.

On the first day of debrief, she was questioned and evaluated by the Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury. His commanding tone and demanding attitude immediately proved he was the headstrong leader of the SHIELD division in her eyes. Even as intimated as she was on that day, Jane was not afraid to speak her mind on the stolen equipment and years of research taken away from her by SHIELD. And after she was done with her ranting and accusing words, Director Fury surprised her by apologizing on behalf of the division. And what flabbergasted her even more was that he believed in her theory of space and time travel and even offered her a job. When she countered his offer with a series of questions about why they believed her and what SHIELD was looking for, he told her the job was hers so long as she accepted that questions like that, quote, "wouldn't be answered." Jane seriously considered denying the job, but the opportunity to work in an official lab environment with state of the art technology was too priceless to refuse.

Overtime, she began to put more trust in Fury's actions, but the intentions of what he was truly up to were something she thought daily.

Jane was happy to have her mentor, Erik Selvig, working with her. He practically raised her and helped her develop her love for science and discoveries as she grew up. His intuition and gut instinct was something Jane truly admired and wished to have. Sometimes she'd be looking at a star chart for hours, wondering what to make of it and Erik would be there, throwing out theories and encouraging her to see the bigger picture of it all.

It wasn't until a week after their first day with SHEILD that they were introduced to the cube. Jane still could not forget her first encounter with it. It was nothing like she'd ever witnessed before. So much energy flowed in such a tiny object, frying the most high tech computers with its off the chart readings. What didn't sit well with Jane was its strange affect on her. There were some days she would just stare at it, feeling its power wash over her senses leaving her in a daze. She kept this interaction a secret until one day, she blacked out for a good two hours and Erik had to slap her out of it. The look on his face after she came out of her trance haunted her. He looked like he'd seen a ghost and when she questioned him, he just shook his head and told her not to tell anyone. Since then, Jane refuses to look at the cube only when she has to, and she is constantly suppressing her urge to succumb to its calling whenever she is proximity of it.

Jane rolled her neck to relieve some of its tension and blinked rapidly. She glanced at the clock. 1:03 AM. She let out a shaky breath, realizing she had been awake for a solid sixteen hours and counting.

Jane's thoughts drifted to the events of early that day as she finished off her cold coffee. Agent Phil Coulson had arrived to check on their progress. In the beginning, he annoyed her because during their first encounter he stole her lab equipment, but overtime Jane was happy to call him a friend. He came by every other week to the lab on behalf of Fury to check in their progress. Coulson was a dedicated agent to SHIELD and fulfilled Jane's requests dealing with the cube efficiently. But something was different about his visit that afternoon. He seemed frazzled and a bit anxious, unlike his calm demeanor even if something was going terribly wrong. Usually he would talk to both Erik and her together, but today, Erik requested to speak to him alone. Jane thought her twinge of jealousy seemed childish, but it was odd for her to be kept out of their conversation. As they spoke, Agent Coulson's usual face of composure was replaced with one of shock and disbelief. Erik was gesturing frantically with his hands over a piece of paper while trying to keep his voice hushed. At the end of it all, Coulson nodded his head to Erik and took off to the exit while dialing someone on his cell phone.

Jane wondered what was so important about that conversation that made Coulson rush out of the lab. She questioned Erik about it later, but he told her it was about calculations which seemed off. Jane didn't buy his lie then and she wasn't buying it now. She also didn't like the fact he put her into another lab to finish up some data work after he spoke with Coulson. She protested, but seeing as he had the authority and she was too tired to argue, Jane agreed.

"How's it going Jane?" A voice asked. Jane's head snapped up to see Erik standing in the doorway. She closed out of the cube readings and opened up her data table quickly.

"Fine," she said, tucking a stray hair back behind her ears, "it's going well. How's the cube?"

Erik shrugged. "Fine."

Jane narrowed her eyes, but kept silent. He was hiding something. "Erik, I know your lying to me. What's wrong? Why have you've been so distant today?"

Erik sighed. "It's nothing Jane-"

"That is a load of BS, Erik, and you know that," Jane said as she pushed her chair away from her desk and crossed her arms across her chest. Her expression softened. "Tell me. You've never been like this."

Erik pressed his lips into a thin line. "Jane, it's much more complicated than that."

She was about to speak, but was interrupted by a beeping noise. Erik looked down at his pager. "Jane, I have to go, they need me in the lab."

Jane stood. "Then let me come with you-"

"No," Erik said, letting his voice echo off the concrete walls. "I hate to do this, but if I have to have you guarded to remain in this room, I will." He turned around and reached for the door handle.

Jane's remained standing looking at him widened eyes.

His muscles relaxed and he looked over his shoulder back to her with a panged expression. "Just stay here and don't come to the lab." Without another word, he left.

Jane slumped back into her chair feeling defeated once more. She shook her head and stood up once more grabbing her jacket. She opened the door, checked for roaming guards, and quickly left the room.

Erik ordered her to remain out of the lab, which didn't include the dormitory ward. If Erik wouldn't tell her what was wrong, then she would find out answers on her own.

* * *

**A/N**: Tada :) My first contribution to the Lokane universe :) Thanks to the FanFic universe I have totally become a complete Lokane fan. Just a little background on me, I love writing in depth fics with character development and a good plot.

This fic wil be LOKANE, but just bare with me.. I'm not the type to rush into something randomly/suddenly. Don't know if this kind of plot has been over done, but I think I have a really have a good idea here and I'm eager to share it.

Takes place at the beginning of Avengers (duh) and will follow through it, the after math, and beyond. It's written in third person and taken from both perspectives of Jane and Loki and guest stars. Features familiar and new faces.

I know this is super short chapter, but I was really eager to get it out there and see the response. (hence it being a "part 1")

**Review please! **They make me happy and write faster :)


	2. So It Begins Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything Thor, Avengers, or Norse Mythology nor make any money of this fic.

**A/N: **Yahooo part 2 and a fast update! :) Sad to say not all updates will be this fast. I have another fic I'm writing for Doctor Who and haven't updated that in a solid two months (check it out if your interested!) However, I will update as soon as possible with this fic. Since I'm still in school, I'm aiming to have something up before/during May. But during the summer, I'll be rolling in the updates :)

The cube interactions and readings are changed slightly (if any) in this chapter. They are subtle changes, as in, for example, there were little people working that night Loki arrived, instead of the mass evacuation as seen in the movie.

Happy reading!

* * *

Jane entered in the combination for Erik room. She was the only other person whom he gave the code, but she never went inside. She understood that Erik liked his privacy, but this was the one exception Jane saw fit to look around in Erik's room.

The door unlocked with a click and light from the hallway spilled into the dark room. She reached blindly on the wall for the light switch. She flicked the switch up and a lamp, which stood on a work desk, turned on. On the opposite side of the desk sat a twin bed and a small wooden bureau. Some clothes were thrown on the bed and a book sat at on a nightstand. Jane walked over to the desk. Unlike the other scientists of SHIELD, Erik refused to have a computer at his personal desk in his room. She recalled him telling her that if he was with a computer day and night, he 'might turn into a computer.' It was the same antique desk he had since she was a girl. On top of its surface sat drawers to the left and right of it attached by a wooden panel in the middle of them. Papers and books were stacked all over it. A filing cabinet overflowing with papers sat underneath the desk.

Jane sat in the desk chair and began sifting through papers. Most of them charts and graphs of the cube readings as well as daily reports he printed out and highlighted. Many were dated back to the previous year. After passing each paper individually for a solid half hour, Jane had gotten nowhere. Each document seemed nothing out of the ordinary and pertained to information she had collected as well. Jane saw no reason to go through the filing cabinet since she would most likely have the same luck in there as well. She reached for the lamp switch but saw a piece of paper sticking out of the back wall of the desk. Jane's eyebrows furrowed. She reached for the tiny piece of paper and tugged. She pulled hard and ripped the paper. It was the corner of a larger paper or a book. Jane pursed her lips and stared at the wall of the desk. Picking up a flashlight Erik left on the desk, she looked at the wooden panel. As her eyes roamed over its features, she noticed a small hole in the corner of the wood where the panel met the top portion of the desk. She grabbed a pencil and began pick at it. Suddenly, with a sharp click, the wooden panel popped out of it place. Jane's eyes lit with curiosity and she lifted the wooden panel off its socket. A secret compartment overflowing with dusted papers laid behind it.

She pulled out several papers from their resting place ans examined them in the light. Many sheets were written in different languages and some she recognized to be Norwegian. She knew Erik was enamored with Norwegian writing, but she never knew that he kept this collection to himself. She dug further into the papers and to her surprise, she grasped a book. Dusting it off, she looked down at the cover and swallowed hard.

The title read "Norse Mythology" and had a sketch of Thor, the God of Thunder.

Her heart began to hammer into her chest. Not only had it been nearly 25 hours since she'd thought of _him_, but each time his name popped up, her suppressed memories came flooding back of the previous year. How could she ever forget Thor? He not only opened her eyes to the possibility of another world beyond human intelligence, but captured her heart in the process. It had been so easy for Jane to fall for such a handsome, warm-hearted man who would do anything he set his mind to.

All at once, images flashed across her mind: The two times she hit him with her RV. His laugh and deep voice that held such eloquence long forgotten on Earth. Their conversation shared beneath the stars. His bravery and selflessness when he sacrificed himself to the Destroyer. But most of all she remembered their goodbye.

Jane let out a shaky breath as she griped the book, fearing it would fly away. Their sudden kiss was a promise of things unspoken. Her eyes dropped back to the cover as she watched two tears splatter on it. It had been six months since he promised to return to her, and with each moment they were apart, that promise was chipped away slowly until all that remained with Jane was a wounded heart.

Did she love Thor? In a way, she believed she did. It was the first time she truly fell hard for someone. He was like a dream. Did she love him now? Jane couldn't answer that question if someone asked her. But, she would be lying to herself to say that those feelings had left permanently.

She rubbed her eyes to rid them of the remaining tears. In the end of it all, Jane felt like a fool for letting such a promise hold so much on her heart. As much as she wished to deny it, Thor was a top reason why she took the job with SHIELD. She dreamed she could find him and hoped he searched for her as well. At the same time, the work kept her busy and usually kept her from thinking of him.

Swallowing her emotions back, she opened the book. Erik highlighted passages about the land of Asgard and its inhabitants. It was described as the most beautiful place known in existence. She turned to a picture of a powerful god sitting atop a throne. In his chapter, the god was described as Odin, King of the Asgard, who was associated with war, battle, victory and death, wisdom, poetry, prophecy, and the hunt. Frigg, his wife, was the "foremost among the goddesses" and the queen of Asgard. They were also mentioned as Thor's parents. Jane smiled softly, seeing where Thor had obtained his attributes. She flipped through more and found another tab Erik had marked. It was the section about Loki, the God of Mischief. The picture depicted a man with flowing black hair adorned in green wearing a rams head helmet. His cold and calculating expession burned through the page into Jane's eyes.

Jane shivered as she recalled her knowledge of Thor's brother. Six months ago, Loki had lied to Thor and sent the Destroyer to kill him. Jane couldn't rap her head around the concept of a brother doing that another sibling. She wondered if Thor had bested his brother and if they reconciled. Jane didn't want to believe there was a possibility Thor fell to his brother. Jane closed the book and pushed those thoughts out of her mind. Even though Thor had hurt Jane, she hoped he had succeeded in defeating his brother.

Jane set the book aside and reached further into the secret compartment. Inside, laid another book. As she examined it, observing that it appeared to be a journal more so that a book. It had a leather binding and was tied together by a leather strap. She unfastened it and flipped through its contents. The pages were scrawled in Erik's handwriting dating back to their beginnings with the cube. Knowing she was already running out of time in his room, she opened up to the last page, which simply stated:

_He's coming._

Jane dropped the journal back unto the desk. _This is what Erik has been keeping from me_, she thought. _He found something...or someone..._

Her head snapped up to the sound of alarm. She grabbed her jacket, shoving the tiny journal and Norse mythology book in the inner pocket as she rushed out the door. The entire hallway was dead silent. Nearly everyone had been had been relocated to a more advanced base within that month. She located the nearest computer screen panel and pulled up the emergency locator.

Jane's eyes widened at the screen's message and took off running. It stated that the cube was in overload and at critical level...something Jane had never expected to see. Jane jolted to a stop at a of a sound deafening BOOM. The walls began to shake and particles of cement fell to the floor. Her breathing became labored as she looked frantically around her. She continued to run at a slower pace to Hanger 12 where the cube was being held. With each step, the sounds of gun shots and blasts became louder.

Her courage faltered when she saw the wall to Hanger 12 had been blasted open and hot smoke poured out of it. Knowing Erik was in there, she slowly approached the wall.

* * *

Hiding herself behind the broken wall, Jane peered cautiously into the lab. Her hand flew to her mouth, unknowingly. The entire room was sacked. Dozens of computers were destroyed along and small fires emerged from broken cords. Jane fought the urge to choke as the smell of smoke reached her nostrils.

But what caused her to force back a scream were the lifeless bodies scattered on the floor.

She crouched down and scanned frantically to see if any of them were Erik. She didn't know whether to be relieved or frightened that she didn't see him. Or it could be that she simply couldn't see him at her current position.

What Jane then noticed Director Fury's body on the ground in front of her. Jane took off her heels and crouched quietly over to his body. She checked for pulse and sighed in relief to feel it faintly beneath her fingers. His eye flickered open, and he mouthed to her 'the cube,' pointing to a brief case. Jane understood and nodded. Whatever was happening, Jane knew the cube was in danger and needed to be taken out of the area. With a sharp nod, he closed his eye. She crouched over to where the cube sat in its stand. She ignored the stabbing pain in her head as she took the cube out of its holding with Fury's glove on her hand. She placed it into the case and closed it; ready to make a run for it.

"Please don't," a soft voice called from behind her. Jane froze and her body went rigid. Her heart began to pound loudly in her ears, and her body felt like it was on fire. The hand which held the case began to shake. It was as if the voice had grabbed her by the throat and locked her into position.

Jane realized in that moment that the cube didn't cause this destruction, but _someone_ did.

"Face me," the voice commanded. The sound cut like razors across her skin. Jane swallowed her dry throat and willed herself to gather courage. If she was going to die, she would not cower in fear. She, Jane Foster, would die fighting. With a deep breath and a composed face, Jane turned around.

And it took all her strength to keep her knees from buckling under her.

A man standing over six feet tall stood about twelve feet away from her locked position. He was cladded in black and green leather, which appeared to be some sort of armor. In his right hand, he gripped a scepter, which held a blue glowing light at the center of it. His hair was the color of a raven's feather, slicked back and flipped up at the base of his neck. His face was cut, battered, and covered with a thin layer of sweat. Beneath the grime, she noticed the sharp features of his face. His eyes were truly striking. She couldn't tell if they were blue or green.

And for some reason..he seemed so familiar to Jane.

His mouth parted and she noticed he was observing her as well. Her heart began to beat slower and louder. Whoever this man was, Jane's gut told her to keep the cube away from him, and she was going to listen to it. He clearly held the strength between the two of them in this standoff so Jane went to her best strength...Talking her way out of the situation.

"You don't need to do this," she said as calmly as she could.

His smirked but glowered. "I've come too far for anything else."

"And what exactly are you here for?" Jane countered. She knew keeping the conversation going would be in her best interest.

The corners of his mouth twitched into a grin. "Amusing creatures, you are." With his free had extended he said, "Give me the case, now, and I'll permit you to walk out of here alive."

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. _Keep talking_, she said to herself. "Who are you and what do you want?"

His face grew serious and straightened his back. "I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious of purpose."

Jane's eyes widened and her vision began to blur. _No_, her voice screamed in her head. Bile grew at the back of her throat. Her head began to shake without her control and tears formed. His presence directly in front of her proved to her that her very fear had come true.

Thor was lost.

And Loki had won.

He cocked his head to the side. Loki relished in her reaction but was oblivious to the true reason she responded that way. "My reputation precedes me," he said in a knowing tone.

Jane remained frozen,staring blankly at the ground. It wasn't until Erik Selvig stood up from behind a desk that Jane came back into the present.

"Loki," Erik rasped clutching his head, "brother of Thor-"

Loki glared at Erik through the corner of his eyes.

"Erik," she whispered, taking a step forward. She realized her mistake too quickly.

"Not so fast," Loki said holding the scepter in front of him. Jane held her ground as pure fear crept into her eyes. He stalked slowly in the direction of Erik. "You wouldn't want your _dear_ Erik to get hurt, would you?"

Jane's anger flared for the first time. "What do you want?"

Satisfied by her reaction, Loki opened up his arms like a welcoming gesture. "I come with glad tidings," he said as if mocking her, "of a world made free."

Jane furrowed her eyebrows. "Of what?"

His eyes glimmered in menace. "Of freedom."

Jane stared at him, wondering what crazed ideas rolled through his head. He then began to speak again, silencing her thoughts. "Freedom is life's greatest lie," he said as he turned to Erik. He brought his staff up to Erik's chest. Jane gasped and shouted a 'No!' and Loki watched as the Tesseract's magic flowed into Erik's heart. Erik's shoulders relaxed after the transformation was complete. Loki's face softened and he spoke. "Accept that and you will know peace."

"Erik," Jane's voice cracked. She brought a shaky hand to her mouth, but dropped it. Tears flowed from eyes as Erik now regarded her with a cold expression with his newly pale eyes.

"You say peace, but I think you mean something else," a voice boomed from behind Jane. Director Fury began to stand shakily, clutching his right shoulder with his opposite hand and rolling his neck.

Agent Barton, who was now standing on full alert, walked toward Loki. "Sir, this place is about to collapse. I advise we evacuate immediately."

Loki nodded in his direction. Erik typed away on the computer, nodding in agreement. "He's right. The portal is collapsing on itself. We have a solid three minute before it reaches critical level."

"Right," Loki nodded to Barton. The soldier lifted his gun and shot Fury who fell to the floor. Jane stumbled back. She gripped the handle on the case tighter. Barton brought the gun back up and aimed it at her head.

"Hold," Loki commanded. Barton looked back at his leader quizzically, but dropped his weapon to his side.

Loki stalked to Jane slowly, like a snake to its prey. She backed up into the stand that previously held the cube. He came directly in front of her so that they were merely inches apart. Everything inside her head screamed her to look away, but she refused to give into his game. She looked at him dead on. His striking features became more apparent to her now. Unlike Thor, Loki held a very noble look to him that hit you immediately in the core. His paleness was almost fey like, giving him an unearthly feel. His aristocratic nose and brow bone gave him the look of a ruler.

Loki cocked his head to the side, observing her.

Her expression hardened. "if your going to kill me," she said with a steady and lower voice, "then do it."

His eyebrow lifted and he broke eye contact, lookin down at his scepter. His head snapped back up with blazing eyes."You have fight," he said chillingly, "and I'm going to need that for the battle to come."

He lifted his scepter up and moved it over her heart. Jane gasped as coldness spread into her chest. _So this is it? _She thought. _But I guess Death is always cold_. Jane closed her eyes, waiting for her end. But in an instant, the coldness rushed back out of her. She let out a breath and breathed heavily.

Loki looked at his scepter in disbelief. _That's not possible,_ he mused looking down at it. The orb appeared to be fine, having no damage. He tried again, with more force but without breaking her skin. The same effect happened. Loki growled, gripping the sceptor tightly.

Jane, with her free hand, clutched her chest where the scepter just touched. It felt normal and undamaged. She closed her eyes and silently thanked whoever was out there to hear her.

Loki grabbed her wrist forcing her to look him in the eye. She met his gaze head on, breathing hard through her noise.

"Who are you?" He rasped, gripping her wrist harder. She winced but did not look away.

"Sir," Agent Barton said. "We have less than two minutes to leave before we're all dead."

Loki's face twitched, and he dropped her hand. He jerked his head to his side, signaling Barton a silent command. The agent ripped the case out of her hand without so much as an effort and handed it to another guard. Jane stepped forward to attack, but Barton caught her wrist and shoved her hand behind her back in a locked position. He tightened handcuffs around them with ease while restraining her jerking body.

"You don't know what your dealing with," Jane said to Loki out of desperation.

Loki pursed his lips and squinted his eyes. He took a step forward coming within an inch to her face. She looked away, repulsed by his precense. With a firm hand, he grasped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. His expression now bone chilling with his pupils burned into her eyes. "And you think you do, _Jane Foster_?"

Jane's eyes widened and jerked his her chin out of his touch. Loki smiled sadistically and began to walk forward. "The look on my beloved brother's face when he sees his pathetic mortal broken and chained to the foot of my heels..."

Jane was pushed forward by Barton to begin moving. She had no choice but to follow the vengeful god as SHEILD's base began to crumble.

* * *

**A/N: **Dun dun dunnnnnn. Cliffhangers are evil but I'm sorry I had to. Thanks so much to all who reviewed my first chapter! I feel welcomed and loved already by the Lokane universe :)

**Review review review! **I'll give you a cookie :)


	3. Leap

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Thor or Marvel nor make money off of this. Purely for fun.

**A/N:** I'm back peopleee. And pretty earlier than expected. The reviews were so heart-warming and welcoming :)

OH MY WORD...the grammar mistakes I had in the last chapter :O (thank you for the people who let me know!) I was on vacation and was just too darn excited in putting it up that I didn't do a quick edit. I shall try to be better from now on (but no ones perfect)

**BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER: **If you are following from last update/already read _So It Begins Part 2_, I urge you to **please re-read the last section **of the chapter. It is when Jane steps into the demolished lab. I edited that section the most due to grammatical errors, but I slipped in some more dialogue and tweaked it here and there. I feel it is more realistic than before and...please re-read it and make me a happy author!

At the **2ND** section I suggest listening to "Tunnel Chase" from the Avengers.

At the **3RD** section of this...I suggest listening to "Red Ledger" from the Avengers soundtrack...if you read it at the right speed...just chills...utter chills...

Enjoy!

* * *

_It's a thief in the night to come and grab you_

_It can creep up inside you and consume you_

_A disease of the mind it can control you_

_I feel like a monster_

lyrics from "Disturbia"

* * *

_Leap_

"Move," a guard ordered as he pushed Jane forward.

Jane grimaced as she began walking. The wreckage on the floor began to cut up her bare feet. Her hair now flowed freely from her once secure bun and stuck to her sweaty face. She glanced back behind her as she walked, stealing a last look at Fury's motionless form. Although they did not necessarily get along, Jane felt a rush of sorrow at the sight of the fallen leader. Fury did not deserve to die in the way he did.

She fumbled at the restraints on her wrists, but its grip was too tight. Barton had done his job too well. Jane observed her surroundings from the corner of her eyes. Escape seemed futile with three guards flocking from both behind and next to her. Ahead of Jane, Loki stalked forward with utter confidence radiating from his long strides. To Jane, it seemed to him that he already had won. Jane glared at his back, hoping her stare would sear into armor.

Loki chuckled without turning around. "So much fire for someone so small," he mumbled so that only she could hear him.

Jane's eyes widened with surprise. She silenced all thoughts, hoping he merely guessed her rage as opposed to hearing her thoughts.

Barton signaled for the group to halt as they approached the exit hanger door. If memory served her right, they would then approach exit vehicles and a tunnel, which lead off the base.

"More guards," Barton said, looking at Loki. "It's the only way out."

Barton looked back to Jane. Loki's head turned towards her, and she took a sharp intake of breath. She looked back and forth between their cold expressions. Although Barton did not say it, he was suggesting her termination so that their escape would be easier.

Loki squinted his eyes taking only a moment before making his decision. He appeared before Jane, lifting the scepter's blade directly under her chin. Jane's flinched as she felt the cool blade land directly above her adam's apple.

"Utter one syllable," Loki murmured in a low, chilling voice, "and I will plunge this scepter into the good doctor's throat before killing you myself."

Jane's mouth formed a small "o" but she closed it shut and gave a shaky nod. Loki released the the blade over her neck and motioned the group to continue forward. One of the guards that stood behind her draped his jacket over her shoulders to cover the cuffs behind her back.

* * *

They exited the lab and entered the exit bay.

"We need these vehicles," Barton said, pointing to the two cars in front of them.

Agent Hill stood by a hanger door, reaching for her communication device at her hip. She looked at all of the group's members as they passed her. Jane kept her head down, knowing the look of despair would give her away. Jane wanted to scream for help, but refused to risk Loki's wrath.

"Who's that?" Hill asked Agent Barton as he walked to the driver's door.

"He didn't tell me," Barton said with a shrug as he entered the vehicle.

The guard who gave Jane the jacket opened up the back seat door to the truck. She slid in and sat behind Barton who was at the wheel. She glanced behind her to see Loki kneeling in the trunk, trying to avoid all eye contact from Agent Hill.

Suddenly, the sounds of gunshots penetrated her eardrums.

The car screeched forward as Barton floored the gas, sending the car speeding down the tunnel way. Jane looked back again to see Hill shooting at the car but lost sight of her as they speed off.

"Keep her head down," Barton ordered the guard. "Anything happens to her, you answer to _him_."

"Yes, sir," the guard replied in a monotone voice. He shoved Jane's head in her lap with force, causing her head to hit the seat in front of her. With her back still leaned forward, she looked up to the passenger seat. Fresh tears blurred Jane's vision at the sight of her mentor. Erik sat on alert with the cube's case clutched between his hands. His mind was still lost.

She wondered what Erik would tell her to do in this situation. But then again, he always told her to assess all possible options in anything. She put her mind to work.

One: She could allow herself to be taken hostage and hope for a rescue.

Two: She could distract the driver and risk being killed.

Or three...She could escape.

_But how?_ She wondered. The car was going too fast to get out and she had the other minion seated right next to her. Not only that, but to escape meant leaving Erik behind. And that was something she couldn't do.

The car jerked to the left and right. Ammunition fired from all directions. Glass broke from the windows and flew across the car causing Jane to tuck her head back into her lap. Behind her, she heard a deadly sound of a blast. It was unlike anything she'd ever heard of. It was too high pitched for a cannon and the sound of a car hitting the sides of the tunnel was its result.

She strained her head behind her to find Loki in full battle mode.

His cat stature was crouched low in defense. Even though they were moving at top speed, his footing did not falter on the trunk. Determination arched across his brow as he sent more blasts from the scepter. He was in every essence a vengeful god set out to destroy anything in his path.

Deadly, yet accurate... extreme, yet precise with every crushing blow.

She could _feel_ him relishing in the battle and his soon to be sound victory. She felt her stomach heave and toss more with each gunshot ringing across her eardrum. A dull pain erupted from her left arm and she saw a bullet wound protruding her skin. Thanks to adrenaline, she barely felt its effects.

Then, the sound of a sonic explosion overpowered all sounds of ammunition fire.

She jerked her head up to see the car had now exited the tunnel. Jane sat up, aware that there was no need to protect herself any longer. The walls of the tunnel had collapsed behind them, enclosing the opposing fire.

Jane realized that the Cube's residue power had caved the entire base, entrapping all that was left living beneath it. She willed herself to force down the oncoming emotion erupting from the center of her chest.

A sound of a helicopter overhead caused Barton to jerk the car off roads. She could faintly hear Loki's grunt of discomfort at the sight of another resistance force.

The helicopter lowered itself closer to the ground, causing dust to fill the air. The guard next to her began coughing and she felt Barton's driving and speed waver as he tried to regain sight. Shots from the helicopter rang in her ears. Jane glanced down to the car door, seeing it was unlock. With the proper leverage and grip, she could push her back to the door and open the handle, even with her secured hands.

The fall, however, was something that could kill her.

Just a few more seconds, and the moment of escape would pass. She looked to Erik who was holding on to the case for dear life with his pale eyes widened in fear. Even though the form of Erik sat in front of her, _her _Erik would be the one yelling at her to jump.

Blinking back tears, she mouthed _I'm sorry_ to him. The sound of Loki sending another blast to the helicopter filled overhead. With a surge of new adrenaline, Jane propelled herself to the door, jerked the handle forward, and kicked herself off the seat as hard as she could.

She rolled her body into a tight ball as her body slammed into the desert ground multiple times. She heard the sickly snap of bones as she rolled to a stop on her chest. Jane groaned at the newfound pain, which spread deep into her chest and moved to each portion of her body. She couldn't move, for her body would not allow even the thought of it. The bullet wound on her arm bled freely now. The only relief that came was the sound of the car still moving forward even after she had escaped. It seemed the dust and helicopter had covered her tracks.

With that knowledge, she felt her mind begin to slack. The pain became almost unbearable for her to scream so she invited an unconscious state. She heard the sound of boots at her head and two hands lifting her up.

"Agent Foster," the voice echoed in her mind. "Jane, just hang on. Stay awake."

_Fury?_ She thought. _Impossible_. _He's dead. Everybody's dead. Hill...Erik...Thor...everyone. Dead. _

_Except __**him**_**. **

Jane finally succumbed to the darkness enveloping her, losing consciousness at the sight of a looming man wielding a blue scepter over her chest, laughing menacingly.

* * *

Loki straightened his back as the car continued forward unto the desert road. SHIELD had put up a good fight, but like a master against an amateur, Loki had come out as the victor. He did not normally relish in killing, but with more life he took, it was like he couldn't stop.

It was as if the scepter moved _before_ him and not _with_ him.

_Just the rush of battle_, he thought. He suppressed his urge to recall the faded spots in his memory from mere moments before. Loki didn't realize he sent a crushing blow to the flying contraption until after it crashed to the ground.

He shook his head and took a steady inhale of air, letting his vision clear as well as his mind. He wondered how the young scientist was holding up in the car. Her defiance and courage was commendable by Loki even if it was useless. The look on her face when he announced her name aloud was simply priceless. It was almost too easy to draw the name from Erik Selvig's head when his mind connected to Loki's.

But the reason to her resistance to the scepter was something Loki truly looked forward to finding out.

Loki looked down to the rear window to see how his hostage was faring. He blinked rapidly at a sight he did not expect to see.

The place where Jane Foster was suppose to be was empty.

Fury and rage seeped into his veins like dagger. With a growl, he pulled the slumped guard through the broken rear glass panel.

With the car still going, the god held the guard at eye level, choking the man's neck. The guard's eyes bulged as he grasped for breath.

"I ask only _one _thing," Loki seethed. "Just _one thing._ Obedience_._" He tightened his grip on the man's neck. "And you disobeyed me. And you know what I do to disobeyers?"

The man's eyes widened.

Loki's eyes flashed pure crystal white. "I kill them." He took the scepter and rammed it into the man's chest. The man fell to his knees clutching his abdomen. Loki looked in discust at his fallen follower. _So much potential._ He thought sadly. Loki kicked the guard forward with the heel of his boot, and the man tumbled out of the truck and unto the desert ground.

Loki collapsed to the floor of the truck, breathing loudly. Loki looked down at his shaking hands. For the first time in his existence, Loki felt that decision was not one of his own.

_Traitors must be exterminated._ A voice hissed into his mind. A sharp pain hit him directly in his head. With one hand, he clutched his forehead.

"Everything alright, Sir?" Barton asked while looking through the rearview window.

Loki gripped the scepter, tightly. Did he mean to kill the man? Sure he was angry but perhaps a more painful lesson. Another pain shot into his mind causing the god to suppress a cry.

Bur then anger replaced his doubt at the knowledge of his prisoner escaping. He had such plans for her and the stupid _mortal_ snuffed them out. Anyone who failed their King was to be branded a traitor.

_Traitors must be exterminated, _Loki echoed back. The pain subdued and a newfound strength was given to him. It was as if his response was pleasing to the voice.

Loki grinned at Barton in the reflection. "One less mouth to feed."

But he would find her. Loki swore to find Jane Foster again.

* * *

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Agent Hill asked as a paramedic was stitching her up.

Fury pursed his lips into a thin line. Agent Foster was currently in another helicopter that held better medical equipment. "Foster's tough, but the doctor's tell me she needs serious medical attention with her injuries."

"So she will be taken to the hellicarrier then?" Agent Hill asked in confusion.

Fury sighed. "I have no choice. It has the best and fastest medical ward out there. Besides, Doctor Selvig was my top scientist and now that he's been compromised, I need everyone we can get." He nodded at Agent Hill. "I'm having you take care of Foster, see that she's settled, and then brief her. I have some business to attend to."

Maria nodded but hesitated before speaking further. "Sir, permission to speak freely."

He leaned forward from his strict posture. "What's on your mind, Hill?" Fury responded.

"What's going to happen now?" She asked. "Sir, its just that...we've...SHIELD's never encountered someone like that."

Fury looked out of the helicopter window. "Now...we assemble the team and figure out what to do with this Loki character."

* * *

**A/N:** Dammnnn Loki. Stop being so evil! Your getting to be a bit of a diva... Hm, I wonder what's up with him ? Something seem a bit off to you? Like, what's up with that voice and why did he even take Jane in the first place? Psh where does Jane even _fit_ into this...Welllllll...you're just going to have to find out for next update ::)

Well, from a logistical standpoint, he's a bit crazy now because I'm just trying to stay close to the chaos and evilness of Loki in the Avengers...because he did go psycho..and i mean _pyshco_... as much as we Loki fans wish deny it lol...but don't worry...there is a side to every story...including mine :)

On the topic of Thor 2...the trailer...FKEWJBGKRJB...FANGIRLING...SO HAPPY...TEARS...MY FEELS...I can't- AH. just. It was fantastic and I can feel it being utterly fantastic. I mean...the last ten seconds...I literally fell out of my chair when I heard Tom's voice...but yes...without giving the trailer away to those who haven't seen it...the new Loki "look"...I going to admit that I had a giggle. I'm hoping for a "slick it back/barbershop" scene lol. but DAMN. he has more volume then I could ever dream. Go watch it if you haven't!

On the topic of Thor 2, since of course it is coming out this year, I have a feeling of where it is going (thanks to some info articles on it as well) so I hope that this story won't stray far from it when it comes to that.

And can anyone guess where Loki's last line in this chapter is from? If you name the movie, character, and scene I might send you a hint about the next update...

Hoping to update sometime in May!

**Review** please! (and if you have thoughts on Thor 2 trailer share them as well!)

Do I smell a new batch of cookies for reviewers? :)


	4. Control

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Thor nor make money off of this. **

**A/N**: Yay fast update! Not much new from me. I've been sick the past week so I've had time to write. Reviewers...you guys just amaze me. And the answer to my guessing game on Loki's line "One less mouth to feed" is from _The Three Musketeers_ said by character Cardinal Richelieu. Apparently, there's another movie with that exact line. Whoops.

Forgive me if there are some grammar mistakes...I edited it a boat load of times but you never know...

Onto the next chapter! (And it's my longest one! 16 pages on my Word doc! :O 2 point for moi) I had a blast writing it! Loki is such fun to delve into. I hope this chapter proves to be an insightful look into Loki's mind as of now. Plus, I mean...isn't he pissed as hell he lost his captive so quickly?... (well...maybe this chapter might be...OH JUST READ B/C I'M ALREADY GIVING IT AWAY.)

* * *

_What if all you understand, _

_Could fit into the center of our hand, _

**_Then you found it wasn't you, _**

**_Who held the sum of everything you knew_**

lyrics from "Live to Rise"

* * *

_Chapter 4 _

_~Control~_

_Miss Foster. _

Jane felt a tug on her mind. She could see a dull light from behind her eyelids, and a steady beep played in the back of her mind, matching her heart rate. She breathed in at a leveled pace, feeling absolutely nothing.

_Miss Foster._

Her eyelids fluttered. Jane's name was said as if it was through water, distant and distorted. She could see the light growing brighter and could hear the noise with much more clarity. The sounds of a machines whizzing and a metallic beep became clearer in her ears. Shuffles of papers and movement of footsteps signaled to her conscious that she was not alone.

_What a dream..._she thought.

"Miss Foster," a voice called again, softly. Jane felt light pressure press on her hand.

This time, Jane forced her eyelids open. The light was almost unbearable, and it felt as though she was blind. Within a second or so, her eyes concentrated on the shape above her until it came into focus completely.

A woman wearing dark rimmed glasses with a stethoscope hanging from her neck smiled warmly and patted Jane's hand. "Hello Ms. Foster, I'm Doctor Klein and you are in a hospital room apart of SHEILD's hosptial sector."

She looked down to see her body was covered with a blanket, and she was in a private room with advance medical equipment. "What happened?" Jane rasped. Her throat felt thick and heavy, like it was unused for weeks.

"You are on SHIELD's helicarrier in the medical ward. You've been asleep for about twelve hours and have been treated for numerous injuries, including cracked ribs and a bullet wound on your left arm. Perhaps it would be best to wait for Agent Hill to come in a discuss this with you."

The beeping of the monitor began to chime frantically. "Oh, God," Jane muttered. "It was all real." The physical pain now became more present within her system despite the drugs.

Jane remembered.

She remembered the explosion and the destroyed lab.

She remembered Fury's unmoving body.

She remembered Erik's pale eyes when she cried out for him.

She remembered the collapse of SHIELD's base.

She remembered Loki and his fury.

"Miss Foster, I'm going to need you to calm down," the woman said with a steady voice.

Jane began taking deep breaths and attempted to sit up. "He has him. _Oh God_, he has Erik!"

The lady quickly put a firm hand on her shoulder. "Now, Miss Foster. I will medicate you if I have to get you to calm down. I just paged Agent Hill to come in immediately. She will be here to explain everything."

Jane began to shake her head. "No, you don't understand. Fury is dead and Erik is in danger-"

"I am well aware of Doctor Selvig's condition _and _his state of mind," the lady said with her arm still on Jane's shoulder. "Agents did a full scan of the Puente Antiguo's perimeter and found no body of Doctor Erik Selvig."

Jane steadied her self and looked at the doctor now.

The women raised her eyebrows. "I'm not making any promises, but I believe Doctor Selvig left the base _alive_ last night_._"

"And in regards to Director Fury," she continued, "he was alive and functioning when I inspected him last night...and not to mention pissed as hell. He is the one who found you."

Jane's shoulder's relaxed and she lowered herself back onto the bed. "He's alive?"

The woman took her hand off of Jane. "Yes, the bullet hole hit his vest square on. You'd think Barton missed by accident..." She said with a smirk.

Jane closed her eyes and felt relieved in the fact that at least one person she cared about was all right. The doctor smiled. "I'm going to fill out your paper work. Press the alert button by your head if you feel any sharp pains. A nurse will come in to assist you."

Jane nodded and the woman left her bedside. Jane looked up to the ceiling and her mind wandered to the condition of her mentor. Loki had promised to threaten to kill Erik if she shouted for help back at the base, but did that threat still hold if she attempted to escape?

_Did Loki kill Erik out of vengeance of her escape? _Jane shivered. She had no way of knowing if her mentor was alive and what Loki was planning to do with him. All she knew was that if he was alive, Erik had to be working with the Cube.

"Glad to see your awake, Jane," Agent Hill said as she stood in the door frame.

Jane turned her head to the doorway. She sighed in relief. "Glad to see your alive, Maria," Jane said with a small smile. Alive but barely. Hill looked tired worn out. Her jumpsuit was battered and her face was bruised and stitched.

"Me too," Agent Hill said as she walked into the room. Jane now sat herself up slowly, biting her lip at the pain, which shot up into her torso.

"I'd take it easy if I were you," Hill said coming to a stop in front of the bed. "Doctor tells me you have some cracked ribs, internal bruising, and a flesh wound on arm."

Jane squeezed her eyes shut as she finally came to a sitting position. "Well that explains the pain," Jane grimaced, trying to lighten the mood.

Hill smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. "With these meds and care, you should be up in no time. Until the doctor clears you, you'll be sleeping and staying in here."

Jane shook her head in agreement, knowing she was in no condition to move. "So we are on a...'helicarrier?'"

"Yes, first of its kind. It's an aircraft carrier and has the capability to fly at a high allititudes."

Jane was not surprised by this technology. She knew SHIELD was very advanced in its technology and used it accordingly to the times it called for.

"Are we in the air now?" Jane asked, looking around to see if there was a window.

"No," Hill said in an exasperated sigh. "We are waiting for more...cargo...to come aboard."

Silence filled the space of their thoughts. Jane cleared her throat. "So what am I doing here? No offense, but I don't think SHIELD scientists are opted to be stationed on top secret helicarriers."

Hill clasped her fingers together. "Fury wanted you to remain out of this portion of SHIELD, but seeing how Doctor Selvig...has been..._compromised_, this sector of SHIELD needs a top scientist like yourself."

Jane flinched at the word 'compromised.' "And what sector exactly am I now being transferred to?" She asked.

Agent Hill reached for a packet unaware to Jane that sat on a small table by her headrest. Hill looked down at the packet before making eye contact with Jane.

"It should be Director Fury explaining this to you, but seeing as he is occupied, I will do my best." Hill hesitated before speaking again. "Loki has declared an act of war on Earth. SHIELD has been preparing a...response...to any force, which poses a threat to the planet for some time now. Loki has the Cube...we know that. What he plans to do with that is out of our sphere of knowledge."

Hill stood up and placed the packet back on the table. "You are now officially apart of this response team. You are the only other scientist with the best knowledge and experience around the Cube. Not only that, but you have been around an Asgardian before and can use that knowledge in your work."

_Asgardian_. Jane's mind echoed. _Loki is nothing like his brother_, she thought. Jane didn't think her experience with Thor would be of any help at all, but kept her mouth shut.

"And the research?" Jane asked.. "Did you recover any of it from the base?"

"We salvaged what we could," Hill said remorsefully. "The entire base was demolished."

Jane sighed and nodded, too tired to argue about it. She knew that it was not entirely lost, with her backups and original work stored safely in her RV.

"Read through that today," She said as she walked towards the door, "It contains blue prints on the helicarrier. Know it like the back of your hand. Someone will be in about an hour to get your story on the events of Punete Antiguo. Fury will talk to you himself on your assignment when he arrives on the helicarrier."

"Maria," Jane said causing the agent to stop, "what about Erik? What about Loki? If you only saw him-" She stopped herself, feeling her voice crack. The god's face flashed in her mind at the moment he looked her in the eye and said _Jane Foster_.

Hill placed her had on the doorframe. "We will do everything in our power to get Erik back. Loki's going to need a whole lot more than a couple of trained operatives if he's going against SHIELD. Whatever he wanted with you, he won't get it." Hill said the words so effortlessly, like it was just another duty.

"Get some sleep, Jane," Agent Hill added before taking her exit of Jane's hospital room.

Agent Hill rounded the corner from the medical bay and to the bridge. She herself wondered why Fury wanted Jane to join this sector of SHIELD. SHIELD could have had Jane discharged after her treatment on the helicarrier and stationed her on land at another base. Hill wondered what her boss was keeping from her...which he did more frequently at the recently passing events.

"Ma'm," an agent said catching up to speed next to her. "We've received word Agent Coulson will be arriving wit the Captain in 0500 and that Agent Romanhov and Doctor Banner will arrive at 1200."

Hill reached for her pager at her hip. "Give me an ETA on Director Fury's arrival. Prepare the bridge for takeoff as soon as the final cargo in place."

"Yes, ma'm." The agent nodded and took off in the opposite direction.

Whatever Fury was planning, Maria Hill hoped Jane could handle it.

* * *

Loki sat in an erect position while observing the work around him.

Doctor Selvig was hard at work with the Tesseract while Barton was unloading weapons from their cases.

Loki felt himself more at ease and clear headed than he did upon his arrival. Not mere hours ago and with the Teseract's power wielded in his scepter, he felt invincible against the mortals. It gave him a sense of true power that enhanced even his own power.

He savored the feeling of each kill unlike anytime before...and it was becoming almost... _addicting._

His eyes darted back and forth between the men lifting and carrying boxes. _Pesky things_, he thought. Only few of them he would call worthy to join his army. Of those two were Barton and Selvig.

_The Hawk._ Loki smirked. _Indeed, the title holds truth._ The assassin first impressed him with his will to live, but now Loki found Barton's use of the shadows very useful. Any mortal with the ability to take shelter in the darkness were tenfold useful than any brute of a warrior.

Loki narrowed his eyes. The mention of a warrior brought his thoughts to Thor, of which he despised to dwell on. It gave Loki an ounce of satisfaction to know the god of thunder still sat helplessly on Asgard, working hard to return to his precious Earth. Loki hoped Thor lived in agony for what he did to him. His own brother..._my own flesh and blood..._

_No._ Loki seethed while shutting his eyes._ He is not my brother. _

Loki looked down at his hand. For the true nature of Loki now hid beneath his illusion of pale skin. The blood of a Frost Giant flowed in his veins. He clenched his fist, causing his knuckles to turn white. His found his entire life to be only but _lie_.

The pain and anguish still burned in his soul from his fall off the Bifrost. He fell into the depths of darkness, feeling more pain than anything in all eternity. It was as if someone had ripped his soul from his chest and smashed it in front of him, leaving his body but a shell.

But before he fell, the look of disappointment on the man he once called father would be burned into Loki's memory for all eternity.

Ever since he was a child, Loki searched for approval of his father, King Odin. He trained himself in the art of magic for centuries to not only obtain a sense of purpose and power but also to impress the All Father. He wanted to show his father that he was of equal to the might of Thor. King Odin loved his sons more than anything, but to Loki, he felt himself beneath Thor in the eyes of their father. Thor was oblivious to this favoritism, but Loki knew of its presence. As they grew, Thor became the favorite of Asgard with his likeness to the All Father and hero persona, while Loki clung to the shadows.

And when Loki discovered of his true nature, it felt like a knife to his stomach. He, of course, denied it, but in reality, it seemed fitting to him. Loki, the lesser son of Odin, was a bastard of the Jotoun all along. It was no wonder the All Father favorited Thor over Loki. In that moment, Loki felt like a meager pawn in Odin's master plan. Despite the All Father's despair of hurting his son, Loki's bitterness drove Odin into a slumber.

When given the task to rule Asgard in the absence of his father and the banishment of Thor, Loki accepted it. Although he did not seek the throne, Loki found a new purpose to make his father proud by destroying the Jotoun vermin and bringing Asgard to a new glory. But his _beloved_ brother had to ruin everything by his return to Asgard. Thor's _precious _Earth had changed Thor in a way Loki did not deem imaginable. Not only did Thor grow wiser, but he also gained a sense of duty and selflessness.

Perhaps in another life, Loki might have been proud of his brother in his transformation, but Loki found Thor to be a thorn in his side, digging into his new plans.

_I could have done it, Father. _Loki's voice echoed in his own mind. The image of King Odin leaning over the Bifrost fell before him. Loki was hanging off the Bifrost, holding onto the All Father's scepter. He looked around him of the wreckage of what he could have accomplished, had he succeeded. A new life... acceptance...love...

_I could have done it!_

He felt his body rack with emotion. _For you!_ Loki cried out in his memory. _For all of us. _Loki looked at his brother, of whom he loved more than he even knew himself.

And, like all the times Loki had recalled this memory unwillingly, Odin's final words to his son cut viciously through Loki's heart.

_No Loki. _

He jolted out of his memory and breathed heavily, as if out of breath. The workers closest to him looked up in curiosity, but continued their work. He closed his eyes, attempting to slow his erratic heartbeat. He welcomed the fall after King Odin's words. He welcomed pain like a friend and the sweet death that would follow.

But when his falling came to a stop, Loki found he _wasn't _alone.

Loki shook his attention to anything but his memories. Doctor Selvig's voice became louder and clearer as he worked. Loki could tell the man was eager and willing to create a beacon for the Tesseract. It had boosted the man's ability to see and comply with its wishes. It gladdened Loki to know how well mortals could cooperate if their free will was taken. He wished all mortals could only feel and reach the sense of peace Doctor Selvig possessed, now that his freedom was gone.

But with thoughts of the doctor, thoughts of Miss Jane Foster invaded Loki's mind.

His honor was wounded at how easy her escape was. Unlike the many mortals of that night, she showed signs of bravery despite her panic. Loki knew she would have been an excellent fit and help to Doctor Selvig in getting the Tesseract to function fully, and that knowledge made her escape even more infuriating. She was only a human, but she managed to elude an escape from Loki.

He wondered how Thor could have fallen for a mortal. In their times on Asgard, Loki never understood Thor's enamor with woman. Thor had taken plenty of lovers in his lifetime, but with all things, Loki observed Thor always liked to play and toy with something shiny and new, especially with regards to females. To say Thor loved the poor wench was out of the question, but Loki could tell she had a hold on Thor in some way or another. Loki wondered if her feelings were mutual...but then again Loki found that no woman could avoid Thor's _charm_.

Thor tended to become infatuated with the drop dead gorgeous females of Asgard. To say Miss Foster was outlandishly and unworldly beautiful would be a stretch for Loki. However, in their short time, Loki observed her features. He noticed the soft shape of her face and the small curve of her figure. When coming in closer proximity to her, he towered over her completely. Her brown eyes could be called ordinary, but it was a mixture of everything when observed closely.

No matter what she looked like, if she caused his former brother to smash the Bifrost and destroy the path back to Earth, Loki knew she was of value to Thor. Loki had now taken a slight obsession in finding her again. This was something of his _beloved_ Thor's and what better way to exact his revenge on his brother than to _take _everything he held dear? Including not only the Earth but Jane Foster as well. It would make Loki's victory over Earth even sweeter in his mind.

Loki looked down at his scepter. His recalled the moment he held it over Miss Foster's heart. He _felt_ her mind as the scepter began to do its work. That was what _truly _amazed him about her. As he peered into her mind, it was nothing but astonishing. Unlike the others he had turned, she held so much knowledge and light that it almost overwhelmed him. So much emotion and life. But in an instant, her mind was sucked back into her body. To Loki, he felt like a hungry child denied a lavish meal. With the amount of power the Tesseract held, he never imagined Jane Foster would be immune to the scepter's power.

Somehow, Jane Foster had blocked its magic from working. _Why?_ He mused. It plagued him to know the answer.

Suddenly, the light of the scepter now blinded his sight and he felt his conscious being dragged to another place.

* * *

Loki opened his eyes. The bunker walls fell before him and the temperature dropped considerably. He was outside, millions of stars laid above him, and he no longer stood on Earth. For only an instant, Loki believed he had transported himself, but then he realized he was reliving a memory.

"The Chitarri grow restless," a voiced hissed. Loki's attention turned to the being emerging from the rock formation. _The Other.._. Loki's mind echoed him. The creature was of the darkest depths of the abyss... and one of the creatures to pull Loki from his fall.

"Let them gird themselves," another Loki said in front of the Other. It was the Loki from the original memory, but now he himself was a bystander. This Loki was adorned in full battle armor, with his helmet glistening in what little light was there and the scepter in his hand. "I will lead them into glorious battle," he responded confidently.

"Battle?" The other cackled. "Against the _meager_ might of Earth?" The two began to circle each other as if in a dance, divided by a rock formation in their center.

"Glorious," this Loki responded. "not lengthy. If your force is as... _formidable... _as you claim-"

"You question us?" the Other exclaimed. "You question _him_?

Loki felt a shiver up his spine in his observing place. The Other did not need mention the name of his..._employer_. If there was but one name Loki feared in the universe, it was the name of the being that burdened him with the task of securing the Earth and allowing him to rule it only if successful.

The Other continued. "He, who put the scepter in your hand, who gave you ancient knowledge and new purpose when you were cast out, defeated?-"

"I was a KING!" Loki's image shouted. "The _rightful_ King of Asgard. Betrayed!"

The Other cackled. "Your ambition is little, born of childish need. We look beyond the Earth to greater worlds the Tesseract will unveil."

Loki lifted his eyebrows. "You don't have the Tesseract yet."

Loki, who was originally observing, was thrown into the image of his body. The Other appeared before him, hissing as the memory still played out. Loki felt the words he said in the distant past fall from his mouth. "I don't threaten, but until I open the doors...until your force is _mine_ to command, you are but words."

The Other paused and glared at Loki. "You will have your war, Asgardian." The Other now slinked behind Loki's back. "But...if you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us... there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where _he can not find you_." Loki's heart began to beat faster. "You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain."

Loki willed himself for the memory to be over, but his body still remained in place.

The Other appeared directly before him again. What was once a dream had now become a vision. Loki realized he was standing before the Other in the present.

"You have pleased him with your starting work on Earth," The Other said backing away from Loki. "But what of the _woman_."

Loki's eyebrows furrowed. "Woman? What woman?"

"The woman you so easily _lost_...the Daughter of Science and _keeper_ of Thor." The Other said.

His blood began to boil at the mention of his former brother. "Jane Foster," Loki said sarcastically. "She's only but a human."

"She is immune to the Tesseract's control," The Other said in anger. "No creature can withstand its power."

"I find it curious as well," Loki stated. "But to consider her a threat would be pursuing a dead end. Jane Foster no warrior of Earth."

The sky gave a deafening crack sound above them. The Other looked up to the sky, then back to Loki. "Be wary of her."

Loki's mouth twitched up in amusement. "Is...your master..._afraid_ of her?"

"Insolent boy!" The Other boomed. "You dare insult him again?"

Loki hid a smile. "I was merely making an observance-"

"Have you not learned before?" The Other seethed. "Have you forgotten his _wrath_ so quickly now that you wield his power?"

Loki felt the fury beneath his skin light afire once more. He lifted the scepter. "I answer to no one," he rasped.

The Other smiled, like he held a secret. Loki felt a cold spread into his neck, causing his vision to blur and his footing to fall.

"You answer to _him_," The Other growled.

Loki looked up to the Other. The pain seared into his skull, filling him with utter agnoy and pain. "ALRIGHT!" He shouted.

The pain left his mind and he sighed in relief. He stood up calmly, regained his footing, and picked up the glared at the Other. Loki's fascination of Jane Foster now drove deeper. _How could one, mortal woman unease a being illusive to her knowledge? _Whatever she was, Loki saw it unwise to displease the Other's master...for now. "She will not escape me again...and she shall prove use for me in my plan of vengeance upon Thor."

The creature hissed, and inclined his head to the open sky. The sky shook. "Very well," the Other responded. "Slake your thirst for revenge." The Other smiled, revealing his rotted teeth. "And remember _King _Loki, your debt which must be paid."

Loki was shoved back into his sitting position in the underground bunker. His head pounded and began twitch.

He pushed himself off the chair. Loki refused to let _the_ _puppet_ get into his head. He walked to Doctor Selvig's makeshift workstation to clear his mind of the recent vision.

"There he is!" Doctor Selvig exclaimed dropping his work. Like a dog to his master, he smiled brightly at Loki. "The Tesseract has shown me so much. It's more than knowledge, it's _truth_."

Loki nodded. "I know." He looked over to the Hawk. "What did it show you, Agent Barton?"

The human turned around. His pale eyes were now blood shot. "My next target."

Loki smiled. "Tell me what you need."

"I need a distraction," he said, taking out his bow from the case. "And an eye ball."

Through the Tesseract's power, Loki peered into Barton's mind, seeing the reflection of what looked like a museum and a gala held for that evening. Another image showed a secured lab containing materials for the Tesseract. Loki smiled and put a hand on Barton's shoulder. "You shall have it."

"But first," Loki said clasping his hands behind his back and walking away from the pair, "I have some business to attend to."

* * *

Jane stood up from her bed slowly.

The pain seemed to be numb now thanks to the drugs. The doctor forbade her from getting up, but Jane need to see how well her body was faring. Putting pressure on one toe as a time, she lifted her body from the bed. Blood rushed to the bottom of her toes and she swayed slightly. Black dots spotted her vision and she gripped the railing of the bed tightly. Soon enough, her vision cleared, but she still felt light headed.

It felt good for to stand up though. For the last three, SHEILD agents questioned her relentlessly regarding the events that took place at the Puente Antingu. She recounted every scrapping detail from the moment she woke up that morning to the moment she woke up in a hospital bed. She recalled the alarms going off on the base, her discovery Director Fury's body of the lab floor, Agent Barton's betrayal, and Erik Selvig's transformation into a minion of Loki's influence. She recited Loki's words on how he was "burdened with glorious purpose" and his intention to create "a world free of freedom."

However, she failed to mention the peculiar attitude of Erik that day.

And the fact that she took his diary.

Also, she didn't mention Loki's attempt to enslave her.

She shook her head. _I'm going completely insane. _

Jane didn't know why she kept the information from SHIELD, but she did. Was it for fear of Erik's safety? Jane felt like her barrier against the scepter wasn't honestly that important. Perhaps she was simply lucky. If she did mention it to SHIELD, Jane knew for a fact that they would put her under lock and key for analysis. She needed to be out and working to find Erik, not stuck in some cell. But should she had kept silent? _SHEILD's the good guy, right? _She thought. It was like she threw out all of her intelligence by not mentioning those important details. She rubbed her forehead with her good arm. _God, what's happening to me?_

She gasped, realizing she forgot completely about the journal. She wobbled slightly, going to the desk on the wall that had a pile of her clothes. She reached inside the inner seam of her torn blazer for the journal, but it was empty. She dropped the jacket and wondered if it dropped out of the vehicle when she escaped. Or if SHIELD confiscated it. Or worse, Loki had it and was reading at it.

She gripped the table in front of her. _Perhaps not the best to stand at the moment._

Jane felt room begin to shake. _That's not suppose to happen._ She lost her balance, fell to the floor, and crawled to the edge of the bed. She held unto the bed frame as the items in the room began to shake.

"Helicarrier flight sequence, engaged," A voice on the intercom alerted. Within a minute, the shaking came to a stop.

She let out a shaky breath as she began to rise. "Get a grip, Jane."

_FLASH_.

The lights above her turned off.

"Okay," she thought aloud. "That's not supposed to happen."

She hobbled over to the door and tried to open it. The handle wouldn't budge nor move. She was locked in.

_You'd think they'd trust me._ She thought frustratingly. She wiggled the door handle another time. Looking through the glass on the door (which was the only light source now), she peered down both ends of the hallway seeing that it was empty.

"Hello?!" Jane shouted. Silence. She gave a good pounding on the window. _Seems like SHIELD soundproofs every fricking room..._

Suddenly, the lights flicked on above her head and she jumped.

She let out a shaky breath. "Jumping at shadows, Jane," she mumbled aloud.

"Not _necessarily_."

Jane whirled around and found that she was not alone anymore.

Her eyes widened.

Loki was in her room.

Sitting

On

Her

Bed.

* * *

The god of mischief smirked at the young scientist. She backed into the door, reaching for its handle.

"I've taken the liberty of locking the door for the sake of privacy." Loki said as he crossed one foot and placed it on his knee.

She looked around frantically for a weapon. It seemed SHIELD had wiped the room clean of anything sharp. The closest thing to a weapon was the clock radio on the nightstand...which sat directly next to Loki.

She allowed herself a glance at Loki who sat on her bed. Even in their short time apart, his appearance had entirely changed. No longer was he wearing his battle armor or holding his menacing scepter, but he was garbed in elegant, mundane clothing. He wore a jet black suit and tie with an elaborate green scarf around his neck. His hair was slicked back and his face was clear of all signs of battle. Leaning against the bed was a cane, adorned with a glowing blue light that Jane had to assume was apart of his scepter.

To Jane, he almost appeared..._regal_ and _noble_.

She suddenly felt very undressed in her hospital gown looking at Loki. She had been without a bath in the last twenty-four hours and could feel the grime on her skin. Jane crossed her arms across her chest, as if it would give her any protection at all.

"D-don't come near me..or I-I'll scream," she warned him.

He looked around the room. "Do as you please if it makes you feel better." Knowing the effect he was having on her, Loki stood as Jane backed herself against the door. Ignoring her frightened face, he picked up the scepter and walked to the desk, looking through her folded clothes with his back turned to her. "You'd think a bright mind like yours would choose a winning side."

She cleared her throat. "I want nothing to do with you," she said tiptoeing to her bed. Within a foot, she'd reach the button to signal a nurse to come into the room.

Waiting for moment to make sure his back would remain turned, she pressed it. She held her breath. Loki pivoted to face her. "You believe me to be so naïve as to enter this room without taking _every_ precaution?" He folded his arms across his chest. "And here I thought my reputation preceded me."

Jane dropped the button and her palms began to sweat. "You've come t-to...k-kill me, haven't you..."

Loki paused, enjoying her newfound fear. "Tempting," he said, "but no. I come only today to discuss matters of business."

Her eyebrows furrowed. _What is he playing at_? Jane wondered.

"What business?" She asked him, crossing her arms.

"You see," Loki said as he began to walk across the room while looking at his scepter, "I made this agreement with Thor." Jane's breath hitched at his name. "Regarding you." He pointed the cane at her.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "What about me?"

Loki stopped in his tracks. "I promised to pay you a visit."

"Well," she said, "I feel thoroughly visited...so you can be on your way."

Loki looked at her then laughed so loudly, that it startled Jane. Never had she seen such a laugh on Loki's face that wasn't either dripping in malice or sarcasm.

He nodded. "You have a point, Miss Foster." He then pursed his lips. "However, matters have gotten more complicated than foreseen." The god shrugged. "As you know with my new plan to rule the earth and such and bring a new scale war to this planet. Regarding this newfound change, I've decided to...what is the Midgard expression? 'Up the ante' in matters concerning Thor."

His image shimmered and he appeared directly in front of her. Jane backed against the wall and reached for the clock radio that sat on her nightstand. She grabbed it from the table and brought it to Loki's head, but the clock went right through it. _He isn't real!_ She thought. She was proved wrong when he grabbed her hand, pinned it to the wall, and forced her to drop the clock. He had her locked against the wall, leaving her defenseless with her other wounded arm dangling helplessly.

"You think you can render me unconscious with a scrap of metal?" He asked gently.

Jane bit her lip and looked down at the ground, focusing on his polished shoes. "Worth the try," she mumbled defiantly.

Loki grinned, like a cat. "You are a feisty thing aren't you?" His face now came closer to hers. As she inhaled, she smelled the crisp scent of the mountains and forest she once visited so very long ago. She wished she could deny the intoxication it held. Jane peered upward at him through her lashes, for he was a great deal taller than her than she remembered even if her was bending over slightly. The ice in his stare rendered her speechless and his face was much more beautiful than she choose to remember.

He cocked his head to the side. "I begin to see why your dear Thor was so enamored with-"

"You don't have the right to speak of him!" She exclaimed.

Loki moved his head back in surprise. He smiled with an open mouth. "My my I believe I touched a nerve didn't I?"

Jane attempted to move in her restrained arm, but Loki's grip tightened. Jane was furious. _How DARE Loki speak ill of his brother. How DARE he mention his name knowing what he meant to me. _"What do you want, Loki?" She said looking back at him in the eye with pure hatred.

He squinted his eyes and then his expression softened, realizing something. "_Ah_... you _are _in love with him, aren't you?" He stated more so than asked.

She looked away. It was the question she had been avoiding herself but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of any type of answer.

He chuckled. "Pity, for if I know Thor...you wouldn't be of his selection."

She shut her eyes, refusing to let Loki get the best of her even when tears were forming beneath the back of her eyes.

"Alas, my intentions of this visit were not of emotional reasons," he said knowingly, "but of course to offer a deal."

Jane bit her lip, choosing not to speak.

"Surely you must be wondering about the condition of your mentor, are you not?" He asked.

"Erik!" She gasped with widened eyes as traitor tears slipped from them. "He's alive?! What did you d-"

"Sooth, Miss Foster," Loki said, bringing the hand which held the scepter closer to her face. "Your precious Erik is safe...for now that is..."

"Thank you," she busted out saying.

Loki was taken aback and dropped his hand from her face. "For what?"

Jane paused with shaky lips. She had said it without a thought but realized the truth behind it. "I thought you'd kill him after I'd escape. You threatened me with his life before we left the lab, so I assumed..." He voice dropped and she cut herself from speaking.

Loki pulled his head back and looked at her. Her confession held no lie and she truly was grateful that he didn't kill Doctor Selvig. After what he did, Loki would have guessed she had nothing to thank him for. He looked back at her with a blank expression. "Fear not, Miss Foster. Erik Selvig is alive and working diligently with the Tesseract, but the rest will left be entirely up to you."

She leaned her head against the wall, defeated. Loki had found her weakness; she would do anything to protect Erik. "What am I to do?

His right eyebrow twitched up in amusement. "The question is, what are you to choose?" His face came closer as it was before. "When this fortress falls, I will come for you." She felt her turn blood cold and Loki continued. "Come with me willingly and quietly, and I will not hurt Doctor Erik Selvig nor after my use for him is done. Refuse my offer and I will not only kill him when he's through with his work," Loki said as his voice dipped. He picked up her chin and turned her head so now that he spoke in her ear, "but he will know pain before his time has ended."

The glowing orb of his cane, which sat between his fingers that held her chin, was now blinding, causing her to shut her eyes. Jane licked her lips. "Why not use your scepter to make me?"

_She asking too many questions._ His conscious whispered. _She mustn't know of her immunity to its magic._

"Now where's the fun in that?" He said in a low voice.

Jane opened her eyes. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"You don't," he retorted.

Her frustration flared at his deceptive answers. "Is this all for revenge at Thor?" She asked. "After what you killed him?"

He turned her chin so that she now looked him in the eye. Her eyes ablaze, making the colors in her irises to swirl; her expression was both frightened and scared, but she was unwilling to break down in front of him. For a moment Loki forgot himself. The fearlessness radiating off from her surprised him.

But then...it came to him that she believed _he killed Thor._ She must have forgotten the slip he made in the lab, mentioning that he planned to dangle her in front of his former brother.

_Jane had no idea that her lover was out there across the stars, still searching for her, _Loki mused. She assumed Thor had perished to Loki when she saw him arrive at SHIELD's base.

Loki smiled, confusing Jane. It would be all the more better in his mind to toy with Jane's emotions and keep her belief of Thor to be dead still present in her mind. He spoke again, carefully hiding the truth in a convincing lie. "His unfortunate ending...has little to do with what I have planned."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Then what could you possibly want from me?"

He let go of her chin taking a step away and looked down into the glowing center of his cane. He twirled the cane, placing it in the other hand. "I'm afraid this meeting is going to be cut short."

"_Duty_ calls," he said sarcastically.

Loki strolled to the door, as if he was going to take his final exit. He stopped short and turned around. "One more thing. Tell anyone of this meeting," he whispered as if it was a secret, "and I'll take that as a refusal of my offer."

Jane remained glued to the wall with a slightly open mouth but nothing coming from it.

He dipped his head in a mocking bow of respect. "A pleasure, Miss Foster."

She stood abash when Loki disappeared into thin air. She then sunk to the floor, hugging her knees into her chest.

* * *

A/N: Boom.

Proud of this chapter...writing action sequences are fun, but I love character development. And I am just getting started with this story :) Tell me what you think! You guys liking bad boy Loki?

Thank a million to all reading. Never in my wildest dreams would I think I would get such a response. LOVE YOU ALL! shout out to fallingthroughhiseyes, startraveller776, Samantha Carter-Potter, LXS, and Sweetangelz18 who have been just all over the review page. I SEND TWO DOZEN COOKIES TO YOUU!

Iron Man 3 IS OUTTT! I'm going Saturday (which is tomorrow for me at this time) and I'm. so. PUMPED! Imax 3D baby :D Whose going/went? Who's recovering from the midnight premiere? And you know I'm jealous of you people over across the pond where it has already been released... _Tell me your thoughts_! Was it worth the ridiculous amount of money I just bought for a ticket online? (lol Duh of course..it's Tony Stark we are talking about. PSHH #noregrets #fangasming...Sorry is my fangirl showing?).

Hoping to update sometime in May? Possibly June since I'm rounding out the school year.

**Reviewwwww please! **I love to hear from you all!


	5. Familiar Faces

**A/N:**Hello my lovelies. I don't know how...but I'm officially done with school! Confetti! So happy and glad to have free time now. (And that means more writing :D) I couldn't tell you the number of times I was in class and literally dying to get to a computer to write. About half of this chapter was written on my phone (blood, sweat, and tears lemme tell you...)

As always, I appreciate every follow, favorite, and review. You readers keep me going!

**If you are just joining from the last time** **I updated** (meaning the last time you read this was when I posted _Control_ about a month ago) I strongly suggest re-reading the last section of the last chapter (the Loki and Jane scene). It sets the mood and air. But if you don't...that's cool...I get it...you're a rebel...do ya thing...but yes please do :)

Just as a side note, my timing in this chapter with the actual movie is a bit off. For example, let's say scene A (just as a reference) is before Scene B in the movie, but in this story I flipped them (confusing you?...yes I am confusing myself). So yes, I do those sort of edits on purpose so don't fret.

Also, I posted a link to fan art on my profile. I'm not usually one for fan art, but this image captures my view of Loki during the Avengers: he's battling himself in a way. Anyways, it's beautiful and a different perspective on Loki. I almost cried when I saw it. Check it out if you can!

Enjoy!

* * *

_How can I decide what's right?_

_When you're clouding up my mind_

_I can't win your losing fight_

_All the time_

_-lyrics from the song, "Decode_

* * *

_Chapter. 5_

_~Familiar Faces~_

"What do you mean it's not ready?" A voice boomed from behind the wall of the hospital.

Jane's head snapped up. She scrambled up from her position against the wall. There was not a visible face in the door's only window. _It can't be..._Her heart began to pound, hoping it was not _him_ who had come back so soon.

"No, no, no," a man said outside the room. His accent was American with a soft tone. "The uniform needs to be out...what? I told you to handle with-" A pause. "Fine. I'll be down to inspect it soon. Ten four."

The door creaked open and a man wearing a black suit and tie, clicking the end button on his cell phone as he stepped inside.

He smirked. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Jane's heart rate slowed and she gave a shaky smile. "Coulson."

Agent Coulson's eyes smiled. "Miss Foster."

Somehow, Jane knew deep down that out of anyone at the SHEILD base the other night, Special Agent Phil Coulson would have made it out alive no matter the circumstances. Nearly half a year before, his first impression of Jane was somewhat rude and cold. After all, he did confiscate her work back in Puento Antingu after the discovery of the Thor's hammer. However, the more they worked together, the better Jane came to understand the enigma that was Agent Phil Coulson. He was one on of the most underestimated agents, and among the best in her mind. His loyalty to SHEILD was unbreakable.

Coulson looked behind him then back to her. "Were you expecting someone?"

She could feel the truth form at the tip of her lips but stopped herself short. "J-just needed to stretch. Been in that bed all day"

He frowned. "You see a bit flushed." He angled his body to the door. "Should I send for the nur-"

"No!" She said, almost shouting. Realizing her mistake, she attempted to cover her outburst of panic. "I-I mean...T-there's no need. Just a bit worked up from everything that's happened."

He hesitated while observing her. Jane thought for sure she was caught but he surprised her by shaking his head. "Yes, understandable. I hope the take off wasn't too rough?"

The image Loki standing in front of her, with his cold expression, and a vindictive smile flashed across her mind.

"N-no, couldn't feel a thing," she responded, concealing the catch in her voice.

_If only he knew..._

Coulson walked into the room and brought an overnight bag to her bed. "Inside are clothes we gathered from your RV. We figured you would be more comfortable working in your own stuff than in a uniform."

Her mind was scrambled. She nearly forgot that she was on the helicarrier to work after what just happened in the room mere minutes ago. "Thank you," she responded.

"And the SHIELD base? How bad?" She asked.

Coulson face dropped into a crestfallen expression. "Demolished. Completely destroyed. Luckily, we got everyone out."

Jane regarded her friend sadly. "I'm sorry. I know how much you put into building it."

He nodded, and then changed the subject. "Director Fury wishes to see you at the bridge. Doctor gave us the all clear that you can leave the room. An agent will be outside to escort you whenever you're ready. The sooner the better." He turned to exit.

"Coulson," she called out before he exited the room. "Any news...about..."

He paused, as if needing to collect thoughts. He looked back to Jane with a neutral expression. "Doctor Selvig is still missing."

She broke eye contact, knowing it was the answer she already knew. Loki had confirmed that much to here moments before. It was a stretch even for her to think Erik could be recovered so quickly.

"His whereabouts are unknown...as of right now." Coulson paused again. "We will find him, Jane."

She remained silent but was grateful for the hope he attempted to make.

"Is there anything else you need, Miss Foster?" Coulson asked before leaving.

She bit her lip, giving the impression that she was overcome with emotions. Her feelings did surface, but she did it more so to keep herself from speaking anymore. Jane knew any further talking on her behalf would reveal her recent visit by a certain Asgardian. When she realized Coulson was waiting for an answer, she shook her head as a no in response.

"See you on the bridge," Coulson said before closing the door behind him.

* * *

Out of all the things that happened recently, the shower Jane took was the best feeling in the world. It gave her the time to examine her wounds. Her injuries were less than she thought she would have, but they were still painful, nonetheless. She emerged from her room clean and wearing her favorite jeans, flannel top, and old boots. Jane almost felt like herself again, but the moment was over too quickly when she took a step outside her room.

Jane fiddled with her fingernails as she walked in the hallways of the helicarrier, a nervous habit that was beginning to bother her. Her nerves were on hyper drive and paranoia was beginning to set in her mind. She walked fast next to her escort, afraid to look behind her and see a certain god wielding a glowing cane trailing behind her back.

She shook her head. _Get a grip, Jane. Your letting a lunatic get the best of you._ With the amount of soldiers and agents she had passed now, it was clear that the ship was absolutely fortified, and she was surrounded by top agents of SHIELD.

Jane should have felt safe... but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

It took about a good ten minutes before the agent who escorted her broke the silence.

"The bridge is just ahead of you," she said. "Director Fury is at the helm."

The woman took off without much so a glance, and Jane forced herself to walk in the direction the woman pointed out.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh...my...God..." she mumbled.

The impressiveness that was helicarrier's bridge stood before her eyes, leaving her dumbfounded. The area was the size of half a football field with an immense ceiling. Guardrails separated the top deck from the lower deck. She walked up to the railing and observed below. Dozens of agents sat in rows upon rows of computers, typing away and communicating in their earpieces. She felt like a visitor in a beehive, watching each person concentrate heavily at his or her task with the utmost focus. A massive glass window sat at the nose of the bridge, giving a bird's eye view to the blue sky.

Jane eyes followed Agent Maria Hill who had emerged from the other side of the room. "All engines operating. SHIELD emergency protocol one nine three point six in effect. We are at level sir." Jane's eyes followed Hill's line of vision.

"Good," a voice boomed to the right of Jane. Director Nick Fury stood erect and confident at in the helm with dozens of translucent screens surrounding him. "Let's vanish."

Agent Hill nodded and began directing more orders.

A very tall blond man wearing a leather jacket and slacks walked up to Fury and pulled out what appeared to be a ten-dollar bill. Fury took the bill, without a word, and slipped it into his jacket pocket. His eye found Jane and gave her acknowledgment.

"Miss Foster," he said walking up to her with his hands folded behind his back. "It's good to see you out of the hospital room."

She put on her best face and a tight-lipped smiled. _You have no idea..._ she wished she could say.

"I hope you are comfortable with your new living arrangement," he said politely.

"Well...its a lot to take in."

He inclined his head to what appeared to be a conference table behind the helm. "There are some people I'd like you to meet."

She followed behind him and to see the two men of whom he was referring to.

The tall blond man of who she spotted moments before with Fury stood up from his chair. He was incredibly tall and strikingly handsome. He had a very built yet lean body, with his broad shoulders coming through his jacket. His blond hair was combed and parted to the side like something out of a vintage magazine. He had the face of a "boy next door" look but appeared oddly out of place in the room.

"Miss Jane Foster," Director Fury stated, "this is Captain Steve Rogers."

"Ma'm," Captain Rogers said. His blue eyes met her own.

Jane was surprised to see and hear such manners from a man who appeared to be just around her age. "Nice to meet you." Out of habit, she lifted up her hand to give a handshake.

Captain Rogers looked at it, but then he lifted up his own to shake hers. Jane's eyebrows pinched together in thought. "I'm sorry if this seems out of place, Captain... but have we met before?"

"No, ma'm, I don't believe we have," he responded.

She dropped her hand while still outwardly observing him. _I know him from somewhere... _

"You might know him as Captain America," Agent Phil Coulson said as he entered the bridge. He looked to Fury. "Sorry, boss. I had some trouble in the cargo bay."

"C-captain America?" Jane said in astonishment. Erik was fascinated by the work of Professor Abraham Erskrine, who was the first and only to create the super-soldier serum. Erik would play video reels of Captain America in action during World War II back in their RV. He'd make a movie night out of it. The reels were a bit grainy and in black and white, but there was no denying that the man who stood before her had the same build, face shape, and voice.

She began to stutter. "But-...well excuse my bluntness... aren't you suppose to be...you know?..._dead_?"

Rogers shrugged. "That's what they keep telling me."

Jane crossed her arms. The scientist in her began to pace back and forth. "But how is that even _possible_?"

Rogers exhaled. "I wish I knew that myself," he said sincerely.

Jane opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. She wished there were some words of comfort she could offer, but she couldn't imagine how a man who was seventy years out of his time could be coping with the twenty first century.

"Captain Rogers was recovered from the ocean almost a year ago," Coulson said, cutting in. "The mission and discovery were kept in secret by SHIELD. He was found alive...along with the Tesseract."

"The Tesseract," Jane echoed aloud. She vaguely remembered the formal name of the cube.

Fury nodded. "Which is still currently out of our possession." Fury turned around and motioned to a figure standing behind the conference table. "And now brings the attention of our other specialist."

Jane looked at to whom Fury was referencing. A short man with ruffled hair and glasses, wearing a wool jacket, lavender button down shirt, and grey slacks stood rigidly and fidgeted with his hands in front of him. He appeared anxious but he was attempting to conceal it. Fury walked to the man and extended his hand. "Doctor, thank you for coming."

The man looked down at Fury's hand, but eventually clasped it with his own. "Thanks for asking nicely."

"Miss Foster," Fury said turning back to Jane. "I'd like to introduce you to Doctor Banner."

Jane's eyes widened.

Doctor Banner's eyebrows rose. "Good to know that there is someone on this ship with normal reactions." Fury shot her a glare.

She recalled the only college seminar she had on gamma radiation and the works of Doctor Bruce Banner. His work was unparallel and she admired his dedication to his field...but Jane could barely keep her eyes open in the videos her professor showed of Banner's transformation in what became known as the Hulk.

"I...Sorry...that was rude," Jane said in a rush. She walked up to him with Fury and extended slowly. "I am an admirer of your work in gamma radiation. My mentor and I refer your research in measuring particular gamma radiation in storm surges."

"Miss Foster is a top astrophysicist and one of the leading scientists in dealings concerning the Tesseract." Fury added.

Banner shook her hand. "You forgot to mention the creator of the Foster Theory," he noted to Fury.

Jane mouth opened in surprise. "Wow, I didn't know my work was...well...known by most scientists."

Doctor Banner smiled softly. "I enjoy discovering the work of others which stretch the boundaries of science as well."

Jane smiled, both in pride for her work and the humor attached in his praise.

"So how long am I staying?" Banner asked, turning his attention to Fury.

"Once we get out hands on the Tesseract, you're in the clear," Fury responded.

"And where exactly are you on that?" Banner asked.

Fury looked down on the lower deck to Agent Coulson.

"We are sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet," Coulson said to Banner. "Cell phones, lap tops. If it's connected to a satellite, its eyes and ears for us."

"Still not going to find them in time," a petite woman with cropped red hair said leaning over a screen. Jane observed that she was not in a uniform and wondered if the woman was a new recruit as well.

"You have to narrow your field," Banner said to them. "How many spectrometers do you have access to?"

"How many are there?" Fury said with cross of his arms.

Banner began to take off his jacket, feeling comfortable now in an environment he now could assist in. "Call every lab you know. Tell them to put every spectrometer they have on the roof and tell them to calibrate them for gamma rays."

Banner placed the jacket on the conference table. "I'll rough out a tracking algorithm on basic cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places."

Fury nodded, pleased with Banner's newfound enthusiasm.

Banner began to roll up his sleeves. "Do you have somewhere I could work?"

Fury looked down to the lower decks. "Agent Romanhov," he said. The woman with the red hair began to walk where they stood. "Would you show Doctor Banner and Miss Foster to their laboratory please?"

Both Banner and Jane appeared to be taken off guard. Banner was the first to speak. "We will be working together, then?"

"You both are the most qualified in your field. Together, it will be faster work. Besides, Miss Foster's research and familiarity with the Tesseract will be useful. Is that a problem?" Fury asked.

He paused. "No," Doctor Banner said finally. "It will make the workload easier. I just assumed I'd be working alone...well... with my..._condition_...as it were."

Fury looked to Jane.

"I...I don't have a problem with it," Jane said looking between Fury and Banner. She didn't expect to be put on the spot like that. Banner raised his eyebrows.

"Well, if Doctor Banner is willing to work with someone," she said in clarification, "I don't think there should be a problem." Jane felt Doctor Banner was too smart to step aboard a massive warship and not consider the possibility of losing control. He seemed fine at the option in working with her...and that decision was enough for Jane to feel somewhat comfortable. "Besides, the sooner we get the Tesseract, the better." _And the faster I get Erik back and keep Loki away_,she thought to herself.

Fury smiled approvingly. "Good. You both will follow Agent Romahov to the well-deck lab."

Agent Romanhov approached them. "If you'll follow me..."

Banner and Jane nodded, and they both left with Agent Romanhov off the bridge.

* * *

"Sir, we will be over the drop zone in about two hours."

Loki opened his eyes and awoke from his mediated state. The plane rocked back and forth, unsettling Loki who hated to fly by any other means but his own. However, the plane was necessary for the amount of people Barton had assembled and for precaution. It was not difficult for Loki to cloak the plane from the human technology that could possibly detect them.

"Barton," Loki called from his seated position.

Agent Barton placed his bow down on the bench and walked over to the corner where Loki sat. The other men remained at the tail of the plane, ready to move yet afraid to be close to the Asgardian. "Sir."

Loki spoke but looked at the cane between his hands. "Can I trust you to complete this mission?"

Barton was caught off guard. "Sir, my loyalty is with you."

Loki glared upwards, meeting Barton's gaze. "That doesn't vouch for your misfire on the man called Fury."

Barton paused and then leveled his gaze. "A mistake that won't happen again, sir...I'm not at my best with a gun."

Loki let the matter drop, knowing it was pointless to banter with a man who wanted nothing more than to please Loki. However, Loki felt a twinge of doubt. Since the..._miscalculation_...of sceptor's power on Ms. Foster, Loki wondered nonetheless if his followers could falter.

Loki stood. "You say Fury has a..._team_...being assembled."

"A makeshift alliance more like it," Barton responded.

Loki squinted his eyes. "A threat?"

"To themselves," Barton said, "more than likely. If put on track, they could do some damage."

Loki seethed. Obstacles, no matter big or small, were not something he needed. His mind raced at the options, and then a thought came across his mind. He needed to cut the threat at the source of their weakness. An army is nothing when its soldiers cannot rely on each other.

"You will tell me everything about this _team_," Loki instructed Barton. "I would..._test_ their mettle." He knew the odds stood with him if he overcame each member individually.

Loki looked out the single window of the plane. Below to them, they flew over a prosperous city with lights beginning to illuminate as night approached. _And it will be mine, _he thought possessively. Despite the simple sight, Loki felt like it was an omen of his victory. Unlike Asgard, the Earth was a force that could be molded and controlled. The idea of cultivating a new world from its ashes was an idea Loki delighted in.

"I mean to rule this world," he rasped. "Not burrow in it." Loki turned to Barton with a smile. "Tonight will only mark the beginning."

Barton nodded as his response. "If you don't mind sir, I have to get my gear together."

Loki flitted his hand, dismissing Barton.

"One more thing, Barton," Loki called out. The agent faced his commander.

Loki smiled. "What can you tell me of Miss Jane Foster?"

Below them, the city lights grew brighter by the second.

* * *

"Boss, you called for me," Agent Coulson said as he came to a stop behind the helm.

Fury looked lost in thought as he gazed out into the horizon into the sun beginning to set. "You dealt with the task I asked you to do?

"I did, sir."

"And?"

Coulson folded his hands in front of him. "I questioned the surveillance technicians if they spotted anything suspiciously this morning. They replied 'no', but I asked them to replay this morning's tapes of Ms. Foster's room. At eleven o' five and thirteen seconds, Agent Ferris noticed a flicker at the corner of the screen; tiny but noticeable by those trained to see."

"Her conclusion," Fury interjected.

Coulson paused. "A copied tape. A replayed clip of video that already happened. It played for about five minutes and then flickered to Ms. Foster crouched against the wall before I came in the room." He dipped his voice into a softer tone. "Someone didn't want us seeing something."

Fury narrowed his eyes, taking care at which direction to head in with his desicion. With his mind made, Fury replied, "Keep an extra eye on Ms. Foster. Don't question her or tip her off, but make sure she remains on track with the Tesseract."

Coulson nodded. "Yes, sir."

"And Coulson," Fury added, "Activate her tracking chip. I want to know where she is at all times."

"Right away, sir," Coulson responded and he left to deal with his other assignments.

Despite his firm trust and resolve in Ms. Foster, Fury was not taking any chances with an oncoming storm he felt was inevitably coming for the Earth.

* * *

**A/N:** Yahoo a little bit of some Avengerness for ya! Already beginning to work on the next chapter. I want to update sometime before June 8th because the last three weeks of June I am slammed with work. I will try though! Been drafting and its looking gooodd :) Sorry for the lack of Lokiness in this chapter; don't worry...he's polishing his helmet for the upcoming next chapters ;)

Because I'm a freak and go to the movies like its my day job, I COMPLETELY recommend seeing Iron Man 3 (epic), Great Gatsby (I really enjoyed it!), and Stark Trek: Into Darkness (PINE. QUINTO. URBAN. CUMBERBATCH AHHH. I'M DEAD. AMAZING.) ON THAT NOTE. Just to let you know: Sherlock Series 3, Thor 2 (code name: Loki's weave), Catching Fire, and the 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who all air in November...it's like they are all trying to kill me with and overdose on feels. So ya...just thought I'd throw that out there...despite the fact that this little paragraph has nothing to do with this fic WHATEVER lol.

DID YOU SEE THE AGENTS OF SHIELD TRAILER?! I am SO. excited. I won't give anything away...but let's just say I fell of my seat.

Love you all and till next time!

**Please review and share your thoughts. I appreciate every one of them! :) **


	6. A Return and Arrival

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Thor or Avengers (sob) or make the money from this fic. I need money though...maybe a day job...ya.

**A/N:** I'M BACK BITCHES. Feels good to be writing again. (Avengers is on Netflix...btw...!)

Just as a warning...I am noooo scientist/expert on gamma radiation. I apologize if the information is wrong or a bit funky. If there is a huuggeee mistake I will fix it. I tried my best but there are only so many articles on gamma radiation/comics of the Hulk I could get my hands on.

thanks for the wonderful support! love you guys!

Forgive me for the grammer errors. I am but a mere human.

Enjoy!

* * *

_Living it up at the Hotel California_

_What a nice surprise _

_(What a nice surprise)_

_Bring your alibis _

-lyrics from Hotel California

* * *

_Chapter 6_

_~A Return and Arrival~_

"Bring over that map, would you?" Banner asked as he typed in his notes into the computer.

Jane complied and picked up a flat, digital tablet. Turning it on, a globe illuminated at the center of the lab table. A holographic world globe hovered in the air.

Banner glanced over his shoulder and shook his head. "Amazing. They really pull out the bells and whistles on just about everything."

Jane smirked. "You should see the bathrooms."

Banner hid a smile. "I'll type in the algorithm. Read off the data when it shows." With a 'click' on the keyboard, hundreds of red dots illuminated all over the map. Jane slid the tablet over to her and read off the listings. "There are thousands of spectormetors located across the globe, eight hundred and fifty eight belong to SHIELD." She paused. "The rest are being monitored. All seem to be picking up the tracking algorithm."

Banner walked over, putting on his glasses. "And functioning?"

"Yes, they appear to be so."

"Swipe off any pick up zero percent radiation."

Jane complied, and the maps' density of red dots shifted to a slightly smaller. "Well...that didn't do much."

Banner rubbed his chin, thinking silently.

Jane's eyebrows furrowed. "If only we had Erik's research..."

"We do actually."

Jane looked up from the tablet. "We do?"

Bruce motioned to the computers at the other side of the room. "SHIELD backed it up to its main frame."

Jane smiled fully for the first time in what seemed days and jogged over to the computers.

Bruce shook his head. "I don't understand," he said as Jane began to type away on the keyboard. "I checked over Doctor Selvig's work. He destroyed most of the files before he was...he left his post."

Jane looked over her shoulder. "When I was fourteen, Erik confided in me about his recent discovery of a dwarf planet containing high levels of oxygen forty light years away. He told me before he submitted his work to the government."

Bruce came up behind her chair. "You're point being-"

"If there is one thing Erik is, it is that he doesn't share his secrets with just anyone."

Jane began to pick through files on the computer. "Erik seemed paranoid this past week, and whenever he feels threatened, he makes sure information is locked away...even by him...so that only one other person can get to it."

"And...you know where it is?" Bruce said, drawing a conclusion.

With a final click on the computer hundreds of files emerged on the screen. Jane spun around with a satisfactory smile. "All files of Doctor Selvig, ready for use, including his recent documentation of the gamma radiation percentage given off by the Tesseract last night."

Bruce went up to the screen and read through the file. He produced a small smile. "Seems we are not going into this blind after all."

Jane fiddled at the tablet. "I'm placing them into the globe readings...now."

The number of red dots on the holographic globe dropped significantly.

Banner walked up to the globe. "Now this is something we can work with."

"What now?" Jane asked, standing behind him.

"The gamma percentage is so specific that the computer will have to eliminate each station individually. Unless the Tesseract is used in higher measurements, we will have to wait for the information to be sifted."

She looked at the remaining hundreds of dots. "There won't be enough time," Jane said to herself.

"Time enough for what?" Bruce asked looking up from the globe.

Jane paused. She didn't think he had heard her. "I...um...sorry I just was rambling aloud...I do that a lot."

"Oh," Bruce replied.

Silence filled the room as both scientists began to tinker with the map readings. Jane swallowed hard. The silence built an air of tension. She hoped the subject was dropped but after five minutes of no words, Banner spoke up.

"If I were to have a perk of having the...other guy...it would be that I hear things that need to be heard...even when I don't choose to listen."

Jane began to fidget with her pencil.

"Ms. Foster-"

"Jane," she corrected him quickly. "People call me Jane."

"Jane," Bruce said with a more softened voice. "I feel like there is something...something that's bothering you."

Jane looked to meet his eyes. "Why...why would you say that?"

He crossed his arms. "I saw the security tapes of the Puente Antiguo SHIELD base or what was left of them-"

Jane's heart began to beat faster.

"-and you seem to be handling this all too calmly."

She turned her chair, appearing to be working. "If you call working to get Erik back 'calmly,' than yes I am calm."

He paused. "I mean you're a scientist, so take it from a scientist's perspective. Logically, a person should have gone into shock or panic...but seeing how you've already met an alien before...your reaction could be considered normal."

"Sorry if my working method is proving your theories wrong, Doctor Banner," Jane said, hoping the lightness she brought to the moment would divert his attention.

"If you don't mind me asking...what did he say?" Banner asked.

She looked up from her paper. "What did who say?"

"Before the feed went out," Bruce said with a cross of his arms as he leaned against one of the tables, "this Loki guy held you by your throat and was-"

Banner looked up at Jane and faltered mid-sentence. "...wow... I'm such an ass," He held his hands out in front of him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even brought this up."

Jane looked down to see that she was gripping the table at its sides, causing her knuckles to turn white. She let out a shaky breath. "Please continue, Doctor. I'm fine...really...I just hadn't thought of it since...well...since that night..."

Banner cleared his throat. "Before you left the lab...he said something...and you didn't like it..."

She saw no need to lie. "My name," she answered.

Bruce's eyebrows rose. "Your name?"

She looked up at him, hoping that would be enough of an answer. He waited for her to continue.

Jane didn't know how to recount the memory. She closed her eyes and tried to grasp at the best possible way to explain what she felt. "He said it like it was a promise."

"A promise of what?" Doctor Banner couldn't from help asking.

_Unfinished business, _she thought absently.

Jane pressed her lips together. "I wish I knew."

Bruce paused before speaking again. She could feel that he wasn't buying her concealed words. He sighed, as if dropping the subject. "Well, if it helps...you're braver than you think."

"Brave?" Jane almost felt like laughing. "I'm not some warrior."

Doctor Banner came to stand next to her chair. "The events in the last twenty four hours prove that wrong." He paused. "Take this into account... you didn't flinch from this Loki when he held you at a death grip, you jumped out of a moving car to escape that crazy alien, you signed up on this makeshift response team while still recovering from your injuries, and you will stop at nothing to get Doctor Selvig back."

Jane felt the truth of his words smack her across the face. "H-how-"

"I read your file," Doctor Banner added.

"Oh," he piped in again, "You might have forgotten that you are in an enclosed room with a someone who has a violent alter ego."

She produced a half smile. "I might have forgotten."

Happy to see her recognize his words, Bruce smiled as well. "You see...you have courage whether you want it or not."

She playfully rolled her eyes. "Well when you put it that way, Doctor Ban-"

He grinned. "Bruce... if you don't mind. We are gonna be cooped up in here for God knows how long so we might as well get use to each oth-"

The door on the other side of the room opened. A frantic looking agent with disheveled hair stood in the doorway, breathing heavily.

"News...channel four," He said, catching his breath.

Bruce took a step forward. "What's going on-"

"Attack," the agent said, coughing, "Germany."

Doctor Banner sprung into action while Jane simply stood from her chair. He fumbled at the keypad that connected to the monitor. "Should be up...right about...now."

The screen flashed on. Jane flinched as the screams from the television reverberated across the room. The footage was shaky and kept switching to different cameras. The newscasters' voices were frantic and almost unrecognizable. Debris flew everywhere and people in ball gowns rushed out of what appeared to be a museum. Jane felt her mouth dry, knowing the situation to be all too familiar. She gripped unto the tablet in her hands as she walked closer to the monitor.

A tall, impressive figured stood out of focus at the stairs of the museum. The newscastor shouted for the cameraman to get a close up on the figure. Shakily, the camera began to zoom in on the figure, but the face still blurred.

From the out of focus shot, the figure wore green and black leather and held a menacing glowing scepter. On his head, he wore a glimmering gold helmet that had curling horns. He began to walk into the street. A car was about to hit him, but he blasted it away, which caused it to skid vertically before crashing.

More shouts and finally the camera came into focus on the man.

On the camera, the figure shouted. "I said...KNEEL."

Jane didn't realize she dropped the tablet until hearing the sound of glass shattering against the floor.

* * *

Loki slammed into the hard rock, feeling pain reverberate into his back as he skidded to a stop.

Thor, Prince of Asgard landed above him. He illuminated in the dark night, dressed in his battle armor and wielding the Mjolnir. He gripped his ancient weapon, poised for combat.

"Where is the Tesseract?" Thor boomed into the dead of the night.

Loki chuckled, for it was always Thor's way to hit first, question later. "Oh I've missed you too."

Thor frowned angrily. "Do I look to be in a gaming mood?" Even with his strength, Thor appeared to be tired and disheveled, a look Loki had not seen on his former brother in a very long time. Then again...this was the first time Loki had laid eyes on Thor in nearly six months of an Earth year.

Loki almost felt like laughing. "You should thank me," he sneered. "With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the All-Father had to conjure just to send you here..." He stood, brushing off the dirt. "Your precious Earth."

Loki faintly heard the slam of the Mjolnir hit the ground before being dragged up into a standing position by Thor.

Thor forced eye contact with Loki. His blue eyes softened. "We thought you dead."

Thor's broken look almost chipped at Loki's icy stance...almost. "Did you mourn?" Loki mocked.

"We all did," Thor said, subdued. "Our father-"

"_Your_ father," Loki interrupted. He brushed out of Thor's iron grip, his back still sore from his crash landing. "Surely by now he has told you of my true parentage..."

Thor followed Loki as he walked down the mountainside. "We were raised together, we played together, we fought together. Do you remember none of that?-"

Loki turned around. Memories flooded his senses. "I remember a shadow, living in the shade of you greatness. I remember you tossing me into the _abyss_. I was and _should_ be king!"

Confusion shaped on Thor's face. "So you take the world I love as recompense for your imagined slights?"

Loki concealed a knowing smile, feeling an opportunity of mischief arising. "The world you love? Or perhaps you should say the _woman_ you love?"

Thor's eyes widened slightly, just enough for Loki to detect. Satisfied, Loki folded his hands together and smirked. "Did you honestly believe you could have hidden her from me?"

Thor brought the Mjolnir to eye level. "What have you done, Loki?"

Loki placed his hand over his heart. "I merely fulfilled my promise I made to you the day you shattered the Bifrost and sent me into oblivion."

Fury raised beneath Thor's eyes.

"Or don't you remember?" Loki asked with eyes filled with false concern . "Allow me remind you. I said I'd pay her a visit, did I not?"

The vein on Thor's head began to pump. "You leave her out of this, Loki."

"And why should I?" Loki questioned. "Who knows, with the proper instruction, I could make her useful to my _many _needs-"

_SMACK_.

Loki felt his back hit the wall of the mountain. He expected Thor to retaliate but not on that much of a violent level. It was uncomfortable for Loki to have the air knocked out of his lungs and hear a crack in his ribs.

Thor stood over his brother, blinded by absolute rage.

"Pathetic," Loki wheezed while standing, "Both of you. She pines after you, searching the stars, whilst you stand before me not rushing to her side."

Thor's face faltered slightly.

"So you did not go to her first, did you?" He asked. Loki stretched his back out, completing his healing spell. "I can't imagine her feeling of abandonment when she discovers this, can you?"

Amused by Thor's look of mixed emotions, Loki continued. "Or the fact you were only driven for a return to Earth when knowledge of my whereabouts came into light?"

Thor flinched as if Loki himself had struck him. "Do not patronize me. You know why I'm here."

"Why?" Loki hissed. "To drag me back to Asgard? Plead _King _Odin to reconcile me? You believe you can stop me after all that has happened?"

"The Earth and _every_ creature here is under my protection, Loki."

"And you're doing a _marvelous_ job with that," Loki snickered.

Despite Loki's taunting, Thor felt its truth. The Earth was now a target for the vengefulness of his brother and other creatures that sought its potential.

"Humans slaughter each other in droves," Loki stated. "I mean to rule them," Loki said with pride. "And why should I not?"

Thor recognized this words...as he himself did believe them at one point in his existence. "You think yourself above them?" He asked Loki.

Loki's eyebrows pinched together in amusement. "Why, yes."

Thor shook his head at his brother's ignorance. "Then you miss the true meaning of ruling, brother." He placed his hand on Loki's cold shoulder. "The throne would suit you ill."

Thor's look of pity almost sent Loki off into the edge. In their youth, it was the same look he would give every time Loki would fail at something in their father's eyes.

Loki pushed away from Thor out of spite. Thor did not move to retaliate, letting his brother have a moment of an upper hand.

Loki looked out into the night. "I have seen worlds you've never known about," Loki rasped. "I've grown in my exile, _Odinson_," He said, spiting out the name like venom. "I have seen the true power of the Tesseract. When I wield it-"

"Who showed you this power?" Thor interrupted with his eyes full of concern. "Who controls the would be king?-"

"I AM A KING!" Loki shouted.

"Not here!" Thor shouted back. He gripped unto Loki by the shoulders, forcing eye contact. "You give up the Tesseract!..You give up this pointless dream!"

Thor gripped his brother by the back of his neck. "Come home."

Loki blinked rapidly, unaccustomed to the expression of genuine concern in Thor's eyes. _Home_, his mind echoed. The glorious landscape of Asgard fell before his eyes.

The rich hillsides, the dazzling blue sky, the vast halls of its palace, the beauty of its people, the air full of abundant magic.

Asgard was the source of Loki's life.

_A lie_, another voice hissed as the image was ripped and replaced by the truth of what laid beneath the glamour of his pale skin.

Asgard had now become the source of Loki's pain.

_He takes you away from your path to glory,_ Loki's voice whispered. Thor's act of brotherly love to save him now seemed like a ploy in Loki's eyes to divert his course of absolute power over the Earth.

Loki leveled his gaze. "I don't have it," He said indifferently. Thor stepped back, confused by his words. Loki could sense the desperation in Thor's eyes.

"You need the cube to bring me back," Loki said as if stating a simple fact, "but I've sent if off. I know not where."

Thor's gaze hardened. "You listen well broth-"

_WHOOSH._

Loki looked at the air, which replaced the presence of Thor. "I'm listening."

* * *

Jane closed the bathroom door shut. She leaned her head against the door and exhaled slowly as if she had been holding in that breath for the entire day. Jane had no need to use the facilities, but she just needed to escape the lab if only for a moment. Since Loki's attack on Stuttgart, Germany, she had been working non-stop with Doctor Banner. Three hours in the lab seemed like three minutes ago to her. They had set up a proto type of the Tesseract to see if they could create the same amount of gamma radiation and could use its data to eliminate spectrometers off the graph. It was a tedious process, but it seemed to be working according to Doctor Banner's reassurance.

Bruce wanted her to relax and take a break after the attack of Germany. Her reaction after seeing Loki's attack had caused the SHIELD medical team to examine her and suggest a rest in the hospital ward. She quickly declined. They thought she had reacted due to Post Dramatic Stress, but in reality, Jane felt a newfound fear of Loki's promise to her coming true. At the same time, it also fueled her newfound drive to work harder to find the Tesseract, which meant finding Erik.

She softly hit her head against the wall. The footage kept replaying in her mind as of there was no off button. After Loki had gotten the men and women to kneel, a brave man stood up against him. Luckily, before Loki could strike his oppressor down, Captain America and Iron Man arrived to save the day. The footage was cut short during the battle due to the disconnection of the newscasters' satellites. Besides the people there, the world has been in the dark on what had happened after Iron Man and Captain America attacked. Not even the SHIELD members would disclose information to her as they checked up on their work. They were under strict orders to remain silent.

"Strict orders my ass," she mumbled. Jane knew Fury did not like to share things until the last possible moment. For all she knew, Loki could have won the battle and was taking over the planet by now. She felt like a sitting duck being aimed at with a loaded gun. Bruce didn't like the silence as well. He even began yelling at some of the agents but stopped due to their threat of him being escorted out of the lab. He laughed at their concern, telling them that if 'the big guy' wanted out…an escort out of the lab would become 'amusing.' But Jane could empathize. Banner was merely annoyed with the lack of information the agents were not giving. It was uncomfortable to be put in the dark and expected to still work.

"Jane...are you in there?" A voice asked behind the door.

Jane exhaled. _So much for a moment to breathe._

"Yeah," she said, clearing her throat. She opened the door to see Agent Hill standing before her.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked, knowing that this wasn't a social visit.

"We need you to move back to the lab, quickly," Agent Hill replied.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked, confused as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Agent Hill hesitated, but then she sighed. "Hell. You're going to find out sooner than later. Loki."

"Loki?" Jane repeated as she caught up the Hill.

"Yeah. He's in custudy-"

"Here?!" Jane asked with concern.

"Soon," Maria responded. "Captain and Stark have him. They are going to be here any second."

"Stark?" Jane asked feeling her voice rise. "As in _Tony_ Stark? _The _Tony Stark?"

Agent Hill suppressed an eye roll. "The one and only. I'll be surprised he even shows up."

Jane agreed. She remembered the billionaire giving a speech at her university about eight years ago...he was absolutely brilliant...even if slightly drunk. She didn't think Iron Man would not want anything to do with SHIELD after what happened at his convention.

"But, he's in custody?" Jane asked Maria again in confirmation. "Now we can find Barton and Erik...right?"

Hill nodded, as if she was reassuring herself as well. "I'm to take you back to the lab. Fury wants you and Doctor Banner to remain there unless ordered to leave."

Jane snorted. "You're kidding, right?"

Maria shook her head. "He doesn't want Banner...tempted...in any way nor you to be in danger as well. You will have guards posted outside the lab should anything happen."

"Your joking!" Jane exclaimed, causing some guards they passed to stare. "Does Fury want me chained and on a leash?"

Maria looked to her friend. "I'm sorry, Jane. It will be only for a little while."

Jane shook her head dejectedly and chuckled without humor. "Isn't that what they always say?"

Agent Coulson turned the corner and spotted them. "Agent Hill. Shouldn't Miss Foster be in the lab?"

"We were just on our way-"

Coulson raised his hand, cutting off her sentence as he listened in on his earpiece. For the briefest of a second, Jane saw a look of uncertainty pass across Coulson's eyes...but it left him and he mumbled in his earpiece, "Copy."

He looked to both women. "Don't move, either of you."

Jane looked down at Coulson as he took out his gun from his holster and Maria did the same. "Agent Coulson, what's going on-"

Her sentence was interrupted by the sounds of feet marching.

Directly ahead of them, a dozen SHIELD operatives armed to the teeth walked directly their way. They formed a tight rectangular structure around what appeared to be one person. As they closed more distance between Jane's position and theirs, a pale face popped up in between the gap of two of the soldiers.

Jane felt her body sieze up and freeze.

_Loki. _

As if sensing her reaction, Loki eyes met Jane's like rush of ice. It felt as if time had slowed. His face was the same ultra pale shade. Instead of the tailored suit he wore earlier, it was replaced by the leather armor he wore at the Puente Antiguo base.

She took an inhale of breath.

For the most brief of a second, she saw the corner of his mouth twitch upward into a smirk.

And then, he looked away as if nothing had happened.

The soldiers directed him into the corridor to the right, and they marched Loki off with them.

Jane gripped her hands into fists to stop the shaking. _Something doesn't feel right._ She looked at Coulson and Hill and saw that they had not noticed Loki's look to her.

Coulson gestured to Agent Hill as he returned his gun to the holster on his belt. "Take her back to the lab, and make sure she remains there."

Hill nodded and began walking with Jane in the direction of the lab.

"I _demand _to see her," a voice boomed in the hallway at the opposite end of where Jane and Maria were headed. She looked behind her.

Figures of SHIELD agents were attempting to sooth another person who was not visible thanks to the corner of the wall.

"You dare attempt to stop me? After I've successfully secured him?" The voice questioned.

The agents began to speak again. This time, Director Fury came into vision. Even Agent Hill had stopped beside Jane to watch the encounter.

Fury put up his hands in defense. "We are only doing this for her protection-"

"'Protection?!'" The voice shouted. "Placing her on a warcraft is what your planet considers, 'protection?'"

Jane's head began to cock to its side. "I know that voice," she mumbled.

"Jane," Maria called out as she gripped her friend's shirt as Jane attempted to walk into the conversation.

"She leaves this vessel, now," the voice countered at Fury.

"She is safe," Fury reassured as calmly as possible. Jane noticed he was beginning to loose his temper. "And, working hard to put an end to this-"

The voice's back now came into full view, towering over Fury. "You cannot begin to comprehend what my brother is capable of now that he wields the Tesseract."

A flowing red came illuminated underneath the dim lightening, with a hammer to his side, and a head full of blond hair.

Jane's head began to spin.

"He will stop at nothing to have his vengeance on me...which puts her in absolute danger, " he said; quiet but loud enough for her to hear.

"Perhaps you'd like to hear what she has to say for herself," Fury said, motioning in the direction of Jane.

The man's back stiffened. He looked up from Fury, and turned around.

Deep blue eyes met Jane's. His jaw tightened as he looked at her. "Lady Jane," his voice rasped.

His image blurred in her eyes. "_Thor._"

* * *

A/N: Cliffy! awww Thane (Thorane? Tane? Thane? Thoster? Jhor?) and BrucexJane (what do you call it? Brucane? Janner? Bane [-HA]) moments! Don't worry...this is a Lokane story..but I can't brush lovable Thor to the side. Sorry if this chapter seemed like a repeat of the events in the Avengers. The cannon is beautiful and cannot be messed with, but I just had to add some little things to get this ball rolling. Also, sorry if Jane seems a bit weak at the end of this chapter. She's been through hell and ya know, it can be a lot (for goodness sake she is played by Natalie Portman...queen of tears [just a joke...I love Natalie Portman but come on..she cries in many of her movies lol]).

stay tuned for next update! (august)

**REVIEW BECAUSE I LOVE THEM AND SO DO YOU! :)**


	7. Deception

**A/N**: (I have big note at the end of this story...please read when your finished with this chapter!)

WELL I'M STILL HERE :DI want to thoroughly apologize for my absent. Life likes to pull me in all directions. I'm sorry for this being so small :( I originally made this chapter bigger, but I figured I should update instead of putting off the next section. Forgive me on grammar...I'll update mistakes if I spot any. Thanks to all who reviewed and my patient followers!

And for the record...I just wanted to remind you that Jane held the belief that Thor was killed by Loki at the Bifrost battle (until she saw Thor in the last chapter).

Also reminder, everything in italics are thoughts! ENJOY :)

**Disclaimer_:_ Still don't own the characters or Marvel. **

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_"Oh, what a tangled web we weave...when first we practice to deceive."_

_-Walter Scott_

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_Chapter 7_

_~Deception~_

_(Continued from last chapter)_

_A flowing red cape illuminated underneath the dim lightening, with a hammer at the figures side, and a head full of blond hair._

_Jane's head began to spin._

_"He will stop at nothing to have his vengeance on me...which puts her in absolute danger, " he said; quiet, but loud enough for her to hear._

_"Perhaps you'd like to hear what she has to say for herself," Fury said, motioning in the direction of Jane._

_The man's back stiffened. He looked up from Fury, and turned around._

_Deep blue eyes met Jane's. His jaw tightened as he looked at her. "Lady Jane," his voice rasped._

_His image blurred in her eyes. "Thor."_

The God of Thunder had returned.

Whatever malice Thor held with Fury was gone. He focus only set on Jane. She blinked rapidly, refusing to let her tears fall. Jane had prepared herself for this moment to happen, if she ever saw Thor again, but in that very moment, she could in no way keep the composure that she had wished. She wanted to smile, leap into his arms, and never let go. She wanted to ask what had happened that had kept him away for so long. At the same time, she found herself possessing conflicting emotions. Despite her happiness, she wanted to yell at him for leaving her and walk away from him in spite of his return. So many questions raced across her mind, but as she tried to speak...nothing but air came out of her open mouth.

He stopped so that they were but a few feet apart. She closed her mouth, blushing and feeling like an idiot all of the sudden. Jane saw he wore new armor, showing his arms but still keeping the black and steel metal on his chest. Unlike the happiness that unusually danced in his eyes, deep lines etched on his head. He even appeared much older since their last visit. Something had changed in Thor...something that wasn't pleasant.

"Are you well?" He asked so softly that Jane could fairly hear it.

She swallowed hard. _Am I well?_ She repeated to herself.

_Puente Antingu...Erik...Tesseract...SHIELD...Fury...Couls on..._

_...Banner...Germany...Thor...Loki..._

"Jane," Thor said while placing his hands on her shoulders. She finally looked up. Warmth radiated from his palms down into her arms. "Are you well?

She met his eyes again. _TELL HIM. _Her head screamed._ JUST TELL HIM. LOKI CAME TO ME, THOR, AND I...I'm scared. _She wanted this nightmare to be over. It would be so easy to tell him what his brother said to her. Questions swam in her head. _Why her? Why now?_ Did his brother think that she was of some value to Thor? She...she had feelings for Thor, but she didn't know if he returned them. _What if Loki was right? What if she wasn't the kind of woman Thor went out for?-_

_Stop it._ She said to silence her thoughts. She could almost feel Loki smiling somewhere on the ship. _He's getting into your head. _

Thor looked at her, waiting for her to answer.

She swallowed hard. _I should just tell him. I should just tell him and let this be over with._

Against her will, a recent memory came crawling back to the front of her mind. Loki's voice whispered in her ear.

_Come with me willingly and quietly_..._Refuse my offer...and he will know pain before has ended. _A bloody image of Erik with soulless blue eyes crossed into her.

Jane knew what she had to do to Thor.

Lie.

Jane stopped herself from trembling and pushed back her emotions. "You were gone...I thought you were dead...I had no-"

He nodded, looking at his hands on her shoulders. The sadness etched in his brows protruded deeper into his skin. "I swore to you, that I would return.

Conflicting emotions arose in Jane. Confusion. Saddness. Regret. Relief...but she felt an immense feeling of frustration.

_What took you so __**damn**__**long**__? Where were you when Loki attacked? Where were you when Erik was taken? Where were you when I was being threatened by Loki? _

Before she could speak, Fury piped in. "Well, now that we've catched up, I'm going to need everybody to move to the bridge." Fury met Jane's eyes. "You too, Foster."

"Absolutly not," Thor boomed.

Jane's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"Sir," Coulson said, trying to get Fury's attention.

Thor ignored Jane's outburst of sudden emotion. "Jane will no longer be apart this-"

"You have got to be joking." Jane placed her hands on her hips.

"Not now Jane," Thor said, holding his hand up.

Fury looked at Thor, amused. "You forget that Miss Foster is a vital asset to our team, having worked with the Tesseract."

"Then you shall receive no help of mine," Thor spat out bitterly. "I shall deal with Loki myself and take Jane-"

Fury crossed his arms. "I'll have you locked up before you even take a step off my ship."

"Sir," Coulson said again. Fury ignored him.

Thor glared at Fury. The tension in the hallway rose. "You dare threaten a Prince of Asgard?"

"A promise, your _highness_," Fury responded coolly.

Thor reached for his hammer at his side. Jane felt herself move quickly in between the large distance between Thor and Fury. "Okay hold up. You're both being ridiculous."

Thor looked at Jane sternly. "Jane, I must ask you to move so I may have words with the one-eyed mortal-"

"One eyed?-" Fury said with a laugh.

Coulson tried again. "-Sir-"

"-how original." Fury finished with a smirk.

"Please, both of you," She said again, louder. She turned her attention to Thor, and she felt her anger reach its peak. "How dare you dare you want to take me away from this. I am a grown woman and can make my own decisions. I was asked to be apart of this team, and I won't rest until I find Erik and the Tesseract."

"Erik?" Thor said, with his voice full of concern. "What happened?-"

Jane fought to keep her voice steady. "He's under Loki's hypnosis...and helping him assemble the Tesseract for his plans."

The vein in Thor's neck began to pump in anger. "Loki is going too far."

She swallowed hard, angry at the situation as well. "I know," She walked forward to him, "but Erik needs me." _In more ways than you know._

Thor's eyes revealed his concern. "Jane, if something were to happen to you-"

She swallowed hard. "But nothing will." _Lie._ "Loki is contained," _For good hopefully, _"and I am needed here." _Until Loki drags me away._

"Please, Thor," she said much quieter, so that only he could hear her. "I need to be here."

The prince in him wanted to remind her of his authority, but Thor knew that he could never inflict anything upon Jane. His absence away from her reminded him how much he cared for her and her opinion. She was the first person to remind him in a long time what it's like to have something worth fighting for, instead of glory. Jane saved him in ways she didn't even understand...nor did he. "I cannot sway your stance?" He asked.

"No," she answered with determination.

"I could take you away," Thor suggested.

Jane crossed her arms defensively. "I don't think you'd do that."

Thor regarded Jane for a moment, hoping for a moment that she could reconsider. She leveled her gaze evenly, letting him know her finale answer.

Thor looked over to Fury. "You swear to me that she will be safe."

Fury nodded.

Thor paused but then nodded as well. "Then I offer my hand and the protection of Asgard to your cause."

Jane didn't know how rigid she was standing until she let her shoulders relax after Thor's words. He would have had no idea what he would have done to Erik had he forced Jane to leave the hellicarrier, unable to fufill her deal with Loki.

"Sir," Coulson said once more. He finally captured Fury's attention. "Chamber 091 is ready for inspection."

Fury nodded. "Hill, Take Miss Foster and Thor up to bridge. Coulson, make sure Stark doesn't get lost and mess up my ship."

"Yes, sir," They both replied in unison.

Thor and Jane fell into step together as they followed Agent Hill. Awkwardness sat between them. She felt like the extreme bashfulness creep up upon her like the times when she first met Thor. She fiddled with her hands, hating that she fell back into it out of habit. She wondered why their walk to the bridge was taking much longer than usual. Thor sensed her discomfort, but he didn't show it.

Unable to take the silence any longer, Jane decided to speak up.

"Thor-"

"-Jane."

(They both said, overlapping each other.)

Jane's mouth flickered into a small smile and spoke. "You first."

"We still have much to discuss," Thor said.

Before Jane could respond, Agent Hill had began talking to two other agents now walking with them.

"Perhaps when the time serves us right," Thor said.

It took her awhile to understand that privacy in SHIELD was nearly impossible. "Don't worry," she found herself saying. "I have questions."

He smiled for the first time since returning. "I would not have expected anything else."

Whatever anger she had for him, it faded away for the moment. She was glad Thor returned, and she felt for the first time in six months, a small section of happiness had returned to her from her former life. Jane knew like there was still unfinished business they needed to talk about...but it could wait. She was glad to have Thor back.

* * *

_Ding_.

The elevator doors opened.

Loki stood in the center of the small group of guards that surrounded him in full armor. He was quite flattered with the amount of interest the humans were giving him in their amusing brigade of soldiers surrounding him. Although he did not find the shackles on his wrists to be comfortable, he did not convey a single emotion about it. Two guards took him by his shoulders and moved him through a doorframe. It was a large hexagonal room. At the center of the area, sat a large glass chamber. It was a circular structure and was surrounded by large metal clamps. The doors to it opened, and he was moved inside.

One of the guards—a younger one, Loki could tell—stepped foreword to unshackle Loki from his chains. He could not have been more than twenty years of age. Loki could feel the trembling beneath the boys skin as he did his tasked. The younger soldier saw Loki's smile, and it drove him to do his task faster. Loki said nothing as the soldiers departed, and he felt a new presence enter the room. This body wanted to be unnoticed, which was nearly impossible with the Loki in the room.

The large glass door closed with a clank... closing him in as an official prisoner of war.

And Loki had to contain himself from laughing at the thought.

The man stood in front of the prison panel, staring at Loki. Loki kept his emotionless and steady gaze as he watched Nick Fury emerge from the shadows of the room. Unlike the soldiers Loki had met, he observed the coolness Fury radiated. He held himself to be a man whose experience was worn on his sleeve. It unsettled Loki to compare the mortal to Odin...but their similarity with only possessing one eye was too easily to connect.

It also irritated Loki to see the man still alive, when he wanted him dead from the start. Like Barton, Loki found Fury to be a skilled soldier...and not one that he wanted to be up against. However, despite the notch in his plan, Loki found the challenge of destroying Fury and his team to be quite entertaining.

"In case it's unclear," Nick Fury said. "You try to escape... you so much as scratch that glass." Fury pressed a button, which unlocked a airlock directly underneath Loki's cage.

Loki looked down seeing the image of the sky emerge below him.

**"**Thirty thousand feet," Fury shouted over the sound of the air filling the room, "straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?"

Fury pressed the same button, closing the airlock.

**"**Ant," Fury said pointing to Loki. He then referred back to the button, which would reopen the airlock. "Boot."

Loki chuckled. Loki admired a man with a sense of humor in times of war. "It's an impressive cage," he said, complimenting Fury. "Not built, I think, for me," he said with a slight smile. Fury kept his gaze, unfazed by Loki's hinting comment.

_Good,_ Loki thought, keeping his smirk. Fury did well to hide his emotions, but Loki was a master as deciphering any reaction. He_ knows I do not lack intelligence of this ship and its inhabitants._

**"**Built for something a lot stronger than you," Fury said with a glare.

Loki smiled again. He recalled the tiny, male scientist he passed on his route to the prison...the 'key' to his plan.

Loki looked up to the glass eye which was attached to the ceiling of the room...which Barton told him was a form of Midgardian technology called a 'camera.' He smirked into the lens, knowing who would be watching. "Oh, I've heard."

Loki made it apparent to look like he was slightly disturbed by what he was about to say next. "The mindless beast, makes play to be the man."

Loki turned his attention back to Fury. "How desperate are you? You call on these lost creatures to defend you."

Fury's stare intensified as he stepped closer to the glass. "How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."

"Ooh," Loki said in a taunting tone...for he knew of the real reason of Fury's _desperation_. "It _burns_ you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, _unlimited_ power, and for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what _real_ power is."

Fury smirked. "Yeah, well, you let me know if _Real_ Power wants a magazine or something," he said as he sauntered away.

"One more thing," Loki said. He did not need to glance up at the camera to know who was watching.

Fury stopped walking, but did not turn around.

Knowing Loki had his attention, he spoke. "Do give my regards to Miss Foster."

Fury turned around, now looking at Loki openly.

"I do hope she has made a full recovery," Loki said with gentle smile. He turned away from Fury, having finished his purpose.

Loki heard the faint sound of the door closing behind Fury. He smiled and looked up into the camera again. He didn't say a word, but his expression told all.

_Jane Foster_, he thought as he looked into the camera._ Miss me?_

* * *

**A/N:** tadaaaaa there is chapter 7!

I need your guys' opinion please. I just re-read my writing and I picked up on this feeling that there are not enough like Loki and Jane moments (if I was a reader). In other words, I feel like I'm putting them off too much.(ex- Like they aren't thinking of each other as much when they are apart.) Idk maybe I'm tired and over thinking... but I just think it would seem out of character for them if I wrote them too be like "omg this woman captivates me" or "I have feelings for him and I don't want to" this early. Again in other words, I don't want to spring their connection to early in this fic. and plus the Avengers portion of the story is just like "part 1" of my story. AM I CRAZY? do you understand what I'm confused about? If not please just say "shut up please" or if I am please let me know and I'll try to answer you/work on it.

Also, if any of you are not new to this story...I moved around some more text into the first chapter (don't worry, if you already read it...all I did was move the beginning section from part 2 into part 1...this is just for future reference...) Just felt like the first chapter needed that push by the second chapter. So if your confused as to seeing this be a chapter 6 instead of a chapter 7...don't worry...your not crazy :)

_I HAVE A TUMBLR!_

It's a Tom/Loki/Lokane theme :) url:** l- o- k- i- hiddleston .tumblr. com** (just take out the spaces) but link is on my prolife! Ask me questions and I'll post updates on how my writing is doing, so you guys will know if I'm early or late for an update.

I also would like to dedicate this chapter to the wounded and fallen victims of the witnesses both present and online to the occurrence of "Hall H" at San Diego Comic Con...for I was wounded via Tumblr. Tom Hiddleston...literally shot and arrow right in my feels...he was just so AMAZING.

SWEET MAMA IN HEAVEN THE NEW THOR 2 TRAILER...

the

mother

effing

slap.

"I like her"

FEELS. I CAN'T GUYS. IT'S HAPPENING.

WHO CARES ABOUT THAT FOSTERSON KISS IN THE END, THAT SLAP WAS PURE LOKANE MOMENT. WOOOOHOOOOOOOO!

I'm done. Goodbye. I need November to come sooner. So thoughts on this chapter? My perplexing question of your opinion with this fic? PLEASE GOOD OR BAD (insert give of loki's "TELL MEEE"). If you need to vent your Loki feels about comic con/ if you were there? Your thoughts about the Thor 2 trailer? That review box is calling your name my friends...

I am back in school...I'll try to update as soon as I can. I am aiming for September...but I honestly am not setting a permanent date. But who knows? Life could get supper hectic...or it could mellow out and leave me with writing time. Again, I thank you for your patience immensely. But to keep you on your toes, perhaps a little Stark joining us next time...maybe some more Loki time? ya never knowwww :)

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**XxPlease review! I appreciate every one and they keep my fingers typing faster!xX**


	8. To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

**A/N:** Helloooo all.

I updated quickly! Seems life was ever so generous (And this has been my longest chapter since 'Control' :0) I forgot about Labor Day weekend and the free time I would have :) (btw I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!)

Thank you for your opinions in the reviews from last update. I'm glad people are seeing what I'm seeing here. I'd also like to point out I forgot to mention the D23 expo with Tom Hiddleston...and Natalie Portman...both looking FABULOUS in their royal blues...of which they coordinated...and had amazing chemistry...I'll leave it at that :)

Not to mention..the recent interview Tom had in which prescribed a QUOTE "spark" between Loki and Jane. (I can just feel the new fics and ideas swarming in my head) Regardless of the plot of Thor 2 (of which I'm excited for completely) I look foreword to seeing their interaction :)

I edited this a boat load of times...but I always have to just apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes I made.

Onward, my readers!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything Marvel or Thor or Loki *cries*

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O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

-Edgar Allen Poe

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_Chapter 8_

_~To Sleep Perchance to Dream~_

The screen cut to black.

But Jane still felt Loki's eyes burning through the monitor.

Jane shuddered. She felt Thor stiffen beside her. Everyone felt discomforted in some way. Banner fiddled with his glasses while the Captain rubbed his chin. Even Natasha, who made a living in hiding emotions, was in a deep frown.

What Jane had hoped would happen, didn't come true. Loki's memo to her came across loud and clear:

He had not forgotten about Jane Foster.

And his expression at the end told solely her that he had not forgotten their deal.

Bruce broke the silence first.

**"**He really grows on you, doesn't he?"

Captain Steve Rogers shook his head. "Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?"

Thor swallowed back his anger. He looked to Jane. He needed to know that she was okay, so she gave a reassuring but forged and closed-lip smile.

"He has an army called the Chitauri," Thor rasped, "that none of Asgard nor any other world knows. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"An army, from outer space," Rogers said in disbelief.

**"**So he's building another portal," Banner said.

_ Another portal? _Jane thought. _How could he build another-_

She stopped and her heart jumped. "That's it!" Jane exclaimed.

"What's 'it'?" Natasha asked.

_Oh why didn't I see this before? _She thought, scolding herself. _He specialized in constructing the holding cell-_

"Jane?" Thor asked, as he wanted her to explain her small outburst.

She smiled, pleased with her small realization. "That's why Loki needs Erik."

"For what?" Thor asked.

"To open up another portal," Jane replied.

_Oh why didn't I see this before? _She thought, scolding herself.

"Don't you see?" Jane replied. "Erik knows the Tesseract inside and out. He is the only other person besides me who knows of its capabilities."

Suddenly, Jane's jubilant expression returned to a small frown.

"What is it, Ms. Foster?" Rogers inquired.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Erik and I know the most about the Tesseract."

"...And?" Rogers asked, politely, for he wasn't following as closely to her train of thought as the others were.

She looked around the room. "How did Loki even know about Erik's position?"

"Loki has his eyes across the nine realms," Thor said as one possible answer. "It could be that he called in favors to receive such information."

"But for all we know," Banner piped in, "Loki could have been planning this for a while."

Jane knew that her work with the Tesseract was brief compared to most scientists' studies and research. _How much did Loki know of the research? _Her thought then trickled to the real question on her mind.

_Was Loki watching us before he came to Earth?_

"What else about Loki do you know?" Captain inquired again to Thor.

Thor enclosed his arms together. "My brother has trained millenniums in the study of magic and in his absence, I believe he has made new allies with darker forces while growing further into the darker side of his craft."

"Absence?" Jane asked. "You mean he wasn't with you in Asgard?"

Thor shook his head. "When I returned to Asgard after leaving Earth, my brother had waged war with the Jotunheim. He fell into the abyss... falling into oblivion. Until these past few days, Asgard believed him to be dead."

_Dead. _Jane repeated. Despite her hatred of Loki, a twinge of sympathy coursed through her for Thor.

"What happened to him that could make him attack Earth?" Banner asked rhetorically.

Thor took it as a question. "The Chitauri pray on the weakest emotions and use it to their advantage," Thor answered with regret. "They strip you of your being and mold you into what they desire."

Jane could tell it was hard for Thor to speak the possible torture Loki had ensued. From her perspective, whatever the Chitari were, they had to be equally or even more unpleasant than Loki. And she had no interest, like the rest of them, in meeting any more aliens.

"Well, I'd like wanna know why Loki let us take him," Rogers demanded, bringing everyone back on track. "He's not leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki," Banner added, "That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him."

"Have care how you speak," Thor's voice boomed. "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he's my brother.

Natasha raised her eyebrow. "He killed eighty people in two days."

Thor hesitated. "He's adopted."

"Adopted?" Jane asked, looking at Thor. "_Adopted_?!"

Jane waited up for Thor to delve further into the matter but all he was shake of his head as a yes in reply. _Well, mark that down as something to discuss later then,_ she thought with a frown.

"I hate to bring up mechanics," Banner said with a shrug, "but what does Loki need Iridum for?"

**"**It's a stabilizing agent," a voice said from behind them.

Jane turned around not only to see Tony Stark, _the _Tony Stark, waltzing into their meeting along with Agent Coulson. He was even more impressive in person, with his tailored cut suit, dark brown hair with flecks of grey, and an overall and commanding charm that immediately filled the room. He was, however, not quite as tall as she had imagined. His look hadn't changed from the time moment Jane picked up on his work in grad school, with his study in ammunitions and constant face in the media. He had the mind of a genius that made the inventing world look like children's playtime. Since his debut as Iron Man, his fame grew to new heights, and he seemed to relish in it. Although she didn't know him personally, Erik had met him before. He said he was absolutely brilliant...with an overblown ego and not much a team player.

Tony muttered something to Coulson about a cello player before returning his attention to the other people in the room.

**"**Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD," He said walked into the area. He came up to Thor and tapped him passively on the arm. **"**No hard feelings Point Break, you've got a mean swing."

"Also, means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants," He added.

Jane's eyes widened as Tony walked into Fury's monitor area, but no one seemed to be surprised.

"Raise the missile mast," he spoke lightly, "Ship to top sail."

"That man is playing galaga," he said pointing over to the right of the control area. "Thought we wouldn't notice...but we did."

He placed a hand over one eye and began to look at the monitors.

"How does Fury see all of these?" He asked.

Maria had to contain herself from rolling her eyes. "He turns."

"Sounds exhausting," He remarked."The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube."

Jane would have to lie to herself to say she wasn't impressed. The man really did live up to his name.

Maria was still skeptical. **"**When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?"

He stared at her. **"**Last night. The packet... Selvig's notes... the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

Jane found herself at the perfect opportunity to speak up only to be out voiced by Rogers.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?"

Banner straightened up. "He has to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier."

Tony pursed his lips, now drawn to Banner's note. "Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."

Bruce looked over to Jane, as if inviting her to finish his sentence.

She smiled, already knowing the answer. "If Erik could do that, he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet."

"Finally," Tony said as he clasped his hands together and looking at both Jane and Bruce. "People who speak English."

"Is that what just happened?" Rogers mumbled.

Tony walked to over Doctor Banner. They shook hands. "It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

Banner shifted his feet. "Thanks."

Tony did an about face, making hawk eyes at Jane. "And you must be, Miss Jane Foster, the astrophysicist behind the Foster Theory. An area a smidge out of my forte but a fascinating read nonetheless."

Jane felt a small blush creep tinge her cheeks. He was the second well-known person that day that knew her by her work. She had never known this kind of recognition in her field before.

Tony walked over and offered his hand with a smile.

"I-I'm flattered, Mr. Stark. Both Doctor Selvig and I studied your work in sustainable energy."

She shook hands, and he produced a wink. "Please, call me, Tony."

Jane smiled at his playfulness. It felt nice to make another acquaintance with someone who wasn't either a.) an alien b.) trying to kill her c.) thinking she was crazy.

**"**Miss Foster _and_ Doctor Banner are _only_ here to track the cube," Fury said, coming into the area. "I was hoping you might join them, Stark."

"Let's start with that stick of his," Rogers said, "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon."

**"**I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube," Fury noted. "And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

**"**Monkeys?" Thor questioned. He looked to Jane. "I do not understand-"

**"**I do!" Rogers exclaimed. Jane had to suppress a laugh in her throat whereas as Stark rolled his eyes and Banner contained a smile. Realizing he had a bit of an outburst, he cleared his throat. "I understood that reference."

"So we play doctors?" Tony whispered to Banner. Erik smirked and then gestured to the way out of the room.

Tony looked back at Jane. "Coming, Miss Foster? I take it you want to get out of here as quickly as we do."

Jane smiled. "Right behind you."

Jane smiled over at Thor. "I'll see you later."

"Good luck, Jane," He replied warmly.

* * *

Jane breathed deeply and closed her eyes.

It had been about 3 hours since the three of them had returned to the science lab...and the time was rounding 4 AM. Stark wasn't impressed with the lab as Banner had been...noting that is was, quote, 'adequate' and 'just above the tech in a middle school lab.' They immediately assumed work, but were always communicating with each. Jane surprisingly found Tony to be of much more use than she thought he would be. He wasn't lying when he said he studied up on both her and Selvig's research. She underestimated his ability to adapt to any area of science when he put his mind to it. His sense of humor and caddice in conversation while they worked also brought a less stressful environment and took her mind off worrying matters.

"We losing you, Foster?" Stark said as he punched in numbers and moved through the network on the holoscreen. Banner smirked as he check on the reading with the scepter.

"No," she said, muffling a fake yawn. "A cup of coffee, and I'll be good as new."

The truth was that it made her feel uneasy to be in the same room as Loki's scepter, but Bruce needed to study the radiation to get more accurate calculations. It looked just as menacing as it did in the dark shadows of the Puente Antiguo base as it did in the harsh lab lights. Jane could defiantly see that the blue light source on the scepter and the Tesseract were somehow connected. She found herself stopping herself from staring at it, feeling the same pull she felt with the cube all those months ago. Banner seemed fine being around it, but Jane didn't know why she was having the strange effect. It seemed logical to mention something, but she concluded that she didn't want to bring it up. She just kept her eyes on her holotablet as she searched through more possible locations that Loki could hold the Tesseract. Even as she worked, she still felt the pull from the scepter.

"You should invest in a Kuerig," Tony suggested.

Tony liked Thor's girlfriend (the title he first referred to her as when reading the bio on Thor's excursions in Arizona.) Discovering she was a scientist, he picked up her doctrine of the Interstellar Communication and travel theory a few weeks before. Even before meeting her, he knew that she was not the average woman who enjoyed shoes and clothes. Upon meeting her, he found she had spunk and was a new-minded scientist...a rarity in their world.

Even as Tony worked within the holoscreen with testing his ideas, he still wondered how she managed to escape Loki...and what her deal was with him anyways. When he tried to bring up what happened, she brushed it off and skillfully changed the subject. He knew she was lying thanks to thirty years of perfecting the art of 'conversation directing'. Tony knew he was a skeptic of anything...but for once he felt like his mind was on the right track to be questioning Jane's part of the story.

_Pepper would so be proud. _He thought with a smirk.

"I second that thought," Banner said rubbing one of his eyes, in actual desperate need of caffeine.

**"**You know," Stark taking his eyes off the screen for the first time in that hour. "You both should come by Stark Towers sometime."

Jane raised her eyebrows. She knew Tony was about as serious as a toddler...but an offer like that was something Jane needed. Money wasn't something she had the luxury of and Stark tech was a scientist's dream to use.

He looked back and forth between them as he put a blueberry that into his mouth. "You don't think I'm serious?" He asked mid-chew.

"You have an interesting track record," Banner pointed out.

"I have a track record?" Tony asked defensively.

"According to SHIELD you do," Banner retorted.

"Well," Tony said with a cross of his arms. "it's given that SHIELD is utterly obsessed with me."

Both Jane and Banner smiled as they continued to work. After working with Tony now for a while, comments like these didn't surprise them anymore.

"So what about it?" Tony asked again, this time directly to Jane. "Top ten floors, all R and D. You'd love it, it's candy land."

Jane smiled. "I'm in, if you can get me out of SHIELD."

"Easy," he replied. "I am the king of getting out of anything."

He turned over to Banner. "What about it, big guy."

Bruce paused for a moment in his task. "Thanks, but the last time I was in New York I kind of broke...Harlem."

That didn't seem a problem for Tony. He now came behind Bruce. "Well, I promise a stress free environment. No tension. No surprises." Tony suddenly poked Banner with an electrical shock device.

**"**Ow!" Banner said with a jump. Jane's hand flew to her throat.

"Hey!" Rogers said, now entering the lab.

Tony balked at Banner, waiting for a reaction. "Nothing?"

Banner smirked, and Jane relaxed.

_"_Are you nuts?" Captain asked, coming up to Bruce and Tony.

Stark ignored him. "You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?"

"Is everything a joke to you?" Rogers scolded to Stark.

**"**Funny things are."

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny. No offense, doctor."

**"**No, it..it's alright." Banner said with a small smile. "I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things."

**"**You're tiptoeing, big man," Stark said with a raise of his eyebrows. "You need to strut."

Rogers frowned. "And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark."

**"**You think I'm not? Why did Fury call us and why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables."

**"**You think Fury's hiding something?" Rogers asked honestly.

**"**He's a spy. Captain, he's the spy. His secrets have secrets."

"It's bugging us all, isn't it?" Tony said. The room was silent. Jane looked up from her tablet to find them all staring at her, waiting for a reply.

"U-um." she stuttered. "I w-wouldn't know. Despite my longish history with SHIELD, I still don't really know him."

Tony pressed his mouth in a hard, and knowing smile directed to the Captain. He then turned to Banner to hear his opinion.

Banner looked down. **"**Uh...I just wanna finish my work here and..."

**"**Doctor?" Captain asked almost like a demand.

Banner hesitated, collecting his thoughts. "'A warm light for all mankind to share', Loki's jab at Fury about the cube."

Rogers nodded. "I heard it."

Bruce pointed to Stark. "Well, I think that was meant for you. Even if Barton didn't post that all over the news."

**"**The Stark Tower?" Roger scofted. "That big ugly-"

Tony glared at him.

"-building in New York?" Rogers finished.

**"**It's powered by Stark Reactors, self sustaining energy source. I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now."

Banner crossed his arms. Almost reading his thoughts, Jane came over to where they congregated around the scepter.

"So why didn't SHIELD bring him in on the Tesseract project?" Banner asked them all. "I mean, what are they doing in the energy business in the first place?"

"I should probably look into that once my decryption programme finishes breaking into all of SHIELD's secure files," Tony stated.

Shock took over their expressions.

Rogers almost choked on his words. **"**I'm sorry, did you say-"

"Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge," Tony replied unphased. "In a few hours we'll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide."

He held his bag of blueberries out for Rogers. "Blueberry?"

Rogers set his jaw. Jane could feel the tension in the room rise. "Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around?

**"**An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically not possible."

**"**I think Loki's trying to wind us up," Rogers said looking at all of them in the room. "This is a man who means to start a war, and if don't stay focused, he'll succeed. We have orders, we should follow them."

Tony shrugged. "Following is not really my style."

Rogers eyes dipped lower. "And you're all about style, aren't you?"

Tony's eyebrow twitched upward. "Of the people in this room, which one is; a) wearing a spangly outfit, and b) not of use?"

**"**Steve," Bruce said, breaking up their connection, "tell me none of this smells a little funky to you?"

Despite his steady hatred of Stark, he couldn't deny the facts. "Just find the cube."

Rogers stormed out of the room, seeming to have a desire to be elsewhere.

"Well isn't he just a ball of fun," Tony said as dumped the rest of the bag of blueberries' contents into his mouth. "That's the guy my dad never shut up about? Wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice."

Bruce smiled. "Well he is right. Loki does have a start on us." He then lifted up a gamma radiation meter. "Jane would you mind reading the recordings aloud and putting them into the graph. This device needs two hands."

Jane put down her work and moved over to Doctor Banner. It didn't occur to her that she would be closer the scepter until she felt pressure start to build on her head. She grimaced but ignored it.

"What he's got is an ACME dynamite kit," Tony said, leaning against the island lab counter. "It's gonna blow up in his face, and I'm gonna be there when it does."

Jane saw the number of the screen. "Three point four."

Banner moved his way down the scepter. "And I'll read all about it."

**"**Uh-huh," Tony said disbelieving. "Or you'll be suiting up like the rest of us."

"Three point six."

**"**Ah, see. I don't get a suit of armor. I'm exposed, like a nerve. It's a nightmare."

The numbers on screen began to shift as Jane read. She shook her head, before reading it aloud. "...Three point n-nine."

The men didn't seem to notice.

Tony pointed to his chest. "You know, I've got a cluster of shrapnel, trying every second to crawl its way into my stops it. This little circle of light. It's part of me now, not just armor. It's a terrible privilege."

**"**But you can control it," Banner replied.

The pain on Jane's forhead now tug puller on her skull. "...Three...point seven."

**"**Because I learned how," Tony said, making his point.

Bruce sighed. "It's different."

"...Four...f-ive...point...n-nine AH-" Jane reached for her head, the pain almost searing into her brain.

Becoming aware of her outburst, Bruce put his tool down. Tony came over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Jane, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing-"

"You looked like you were in pain," Banner said with concern.

"R-really," she said, trying to relax her face, but it looked more like a grimace. "I'm fine-"

"That's a lie." Tony said as if stating a fact.

"I," she started looking back at both of them. "I must be more tired than I thought. I've been awake for a while now."

Bruce nodded, but Tony wasn't buying it.

She continued her explanation. "I'm not one to complain. I wasn't going to even say anything, but I was just attacked with a migraine."

"Well then," Tony said, coming to his own conclusion. "You need to sleep."

"N-no that won't be necessary."

"Come on Jane," he said chiding her, "you said so yourself that you were tired not even a second ago."

"But I don't want to leave-"

"-which is why you won't." Tony began to type into the holoscreen. Suddenly, a flat mattress, parallel to the ground immerged from the wall on the other side of the room. He grabbed a lab coat hanging on one of the hooks, balled it into a square mass and placed it at one end of the makeshift bed.

He patted the bed's surface. "I give it to SHIELD on this...they know a scientist has to be with their work at all times. Get some shuteye, Jane. Even if just for an hour."

Trapped in a corner she put herself in, she had to nod in return. It would also give her an excuse to step away from the scepter at a safe distance without leaving the room.

Assuming a lying down position on the mattress she closed her eyes.

"One more thing," Tony said as he reached into his pocket. Digging into it, he grabbed what he was searching for and held them out to Jane for her to take.

She raised an eyebrow. "Ear plugs?"

He smirked. "An extra precaution I took in case they teamed me with Miss America."

Jane shook her head but smiled, taking them, and placing them in her ears. "You'll wake me up no later than an hour or if you find something?"

He nodded and walked back to Banner.

Immune to any further noise, Jane slowed down her breathing and felt herself fall into a sleep she desperately needed needed.

* * *

Jane felt herself falling, but in a pleasing way. All of her worry and stress seemed to leave her body.

No Shield, no Fury, no crisis, no losing Erik, no hellicarrier, no Thor, no cube, no danger, no Loki, no nothing.

Just peace.

Second by second this weight left her until she felt the feeling of falling leave her system.

Jane opened her eyes to see millions of stars flooding the pitch-black sky.

Readjusting her vision, she knew she was lying down. Slowly sitting up, she observed what lay around her.

She was on the Smith's repair shop roof, where her lab just sat below. It was nighttime clearly, but the florescent lighting from metal beam behind her and the moonlight helped her eyes focus. She was sitting on her favorite couch that she had since grad school, with a coffee stain and a hole on the armchair. Jane sat up and looked at her clothing. She was wearing her favorite pair of faired, grey sweats and cami (of which she thought were both made by the softest material ever).

She stood up and saw a pile of books stacked on the right side of the couch. Kneeling over to them, she read just a few of the names she immediately saw. _Journey to the Center of the Earth. Farenheit 457. Gone Girl. The English Patient. To Kill a Mocking Bird. Hamlet. _She knew all of them were her favorites. She picked up the Hamlet copy (since it was on the top of the pile). Her eyes widened. It contained all of her notes, rambles, and insights she had when studying the subject in college. It was the one elective she thought she would hate, but found it completely fascinating. She thought she lost it when she moved out to Arizona. She placed it down, and continued her exploration.

She then noticed the coffee table in front of the couch. Standing over the coffee table, she saw a steaming cup of a dark liquid, a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, and a photo frame. Looking at the photo, she saw Darcy and Erik smiling at her. She felt herself smiling along with the memory. It was last year when Erik was fixing the RV. Oil had spilled all over his face and Darcy was painted with it when she made fun of him. Bringing the cup to her lips, she tasted warm tea as it filled her mouth. She sighed in absolute bliss. It was the special tea Darcy would make her on bad weeks filled with bills or paperwork. She plopped a cookie into her mouth, and almost groaned at the wonderful taste.

She looked behind her to see a telescope sitting at the edge of the roof directly across from the couch. Curious to see what type it was, she took the plate of cookies in one hand and the mug in another and walked to the telescope. Next to it was a chair, and she placed rested her items there. Up close to the telescope, Jane knew it was not _just_ any telescope. It was the one she had been saving up to buy for the past three years, and here it was in perfect condition. She looked into the eyepiece and adjusted the lens. She smiled, absolutely in awe with the clarity she was getting with the lens.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Jane's smiled cracked. The back of the hairs stood on end. Carefully, she took her eye away from the eyepiece and stood up in rigid posture. She forced herself to turn around and meet the newest member on the roof.

Loki sat on the couch, one leg crossed over the other. He was a dressed leather Asgardian clothes he had on before, but this time without the heavy long coat. It gave him more of a casual appearance. Unlike Thor, Loki sat with a very lithe posture whereas Thor consumed any piece of furniture he sat down in. In his hands, he held a book, which Jane could tell was her copy of _Hamlet_. _Fitting_, she wanted to say. _I bet he can relate to the damn play. _His eyebrows were pinched in concentration as he perched one elbow on his folded knee, with a finger resting atop his mouth.

Jane weighed the option of running for the door, which leads to the downstairs, but the couch was directly in front of it. And taking a jump off the roof would be completely idiotic.

"It seems you are delighted with my work," Loki mused without taking his eyes off the book as he flipped to the next page and stood up. He walked slowly around the coffee table.

Jane's eyebrows furrowed. "Your work?"

With his eyes still on the book, he gestured to the space around them.

Jane looked around her, not immediately understanding what he meant. She knew this was her perfect place, which also included a collection of her favorite possessions. She felt somewhere in her mind the words 'SHIELD' and 'hellicarrier' immerge...words she knew that were of her real life. She faintly remembered falling asleep in the lab with Tony and Erik in the room. _A dream_ she thought in disappointment. _He brought me here. _It was probably the most vivid dream she was ever experiencing in her life. She could feel the night air and smell the desert with the faint hint of the restaurant down the street. The rooftop details were in perfect alignment along with her favorite items. She could still taste the cookie and tea on her tongue.

"How did you know about this?" She asked him. "How are you doing this?"

He shrugged and flipped to the next page. "I see no reason to explain myself."

Jane lifted her eyebrows. "It's just a simple question-"

"-Of which I do not need to answer," he finished.

Jane exhaled sharply. "Are you always this rude?"

"Only on my best days."

"You have good days?"

He closed the book with a snap, but his eyes looked directly ahead of him. "It seems your foolishness only seems to heighten with each of our meetings."

"It's been a busy day."

His cool eyes met Jane. She inhaled quickly. They pierced through her with the same venom as before, rushing in her blood and making her heart beat faster. She felt her sarcasm and bravery die on her lips.

His face suddenly relaxed and was replaced by a smirk.

"I admire your spirit, Jane Foster," he said clasping his hands around his back with the book. He began to walk to her.

"But," he said, bringing a new object from behind his back. "'spirit' can be crushed."

Jane saw it was a silver photo frame. Looking back to the coffee table, she saw that the frame she looked at moments before was gone... and now rested in his hands. Jane swallowed, understanding his meaning.

He smiled at her reaction. His smile was mesmerizing and lit the night sky. She wanted to spit in his face, but she found herself unable to look away. At this distance, she could see the flecs of green in his eyes, the way the moonlight gave his pale skin an unnatural glow, and the few hairs lightly touching his head.

His smile dropped and one of his eyebrow rose. "Enjoying the view?"

Jane felt her entire skin flush scarlet at his words and she quickly turned around to look out into the town...but it was too late. He already saw her reaction. She didn't mean to stare, but she didn't understand how one so evil could look somewhat alluring.

"Don't flatter yourself," she attempted to say with disgust.

_I wonder,_ Loki mused. He contemplated if the mortal was actually attracted to him. He grinned inwardly, feeling a new chapter of his game about to begin.

"I do say," Loki said, now standing behind Jane. "I find Midgardian wardrobe fascinating." He lifted his hand to Jane's back, not touching yet, but hovering over it. Jane could feel the coolness radiating from his hand. He noticed the warm shade of her skin, still slightly flushed, and the view of the her neck since her hair was brush off the the side.

"Especially the robes of a female" he said, lowering his voice. She could feel his breath tickling her ear. Before Jane could react, he lightly trailed his finger from the top of her spine to the middle of her back. His voice now became a whisper. "Leaving the eyes wander over bare flesh."

Snapping out of the trance, Jane turned around and backed up the furthest she could. It did little since she was right at the edge of the roof. She took in his expression. His eyes contained a new mixture of venom. Instead of the pure hatred that was usually poured into it, it was mixed with a feeling of possession...and raw desire.

Jane felt something in her stomach seize up. Confusion...Disgust...fear...and something else... Jane knew he was capable of killing her, but now she feared of what he would _do _before taking her life away.

Loki watched as the mortal's eyes widen with absolute panic. His grin deepened, only to drive her eyes to widen further. He took a step back from their enclosed space, allowing some distance. She relaxed almost instantly at generous air that now stood between them. He returned back to the cool demeanor she was use to seeing.

"How is my _dear_ brother, Thor?" He asked with a lightness back in his speech.

Jane exhaled sharply. She felt her anger towards Loki return. "_Alive_."

He chuckled. "Yes, I perhaps forgot to tell you that minor detail."

The corner of his mouth rose. "But do tell me, was it a happy reunion? Did you embrace him with adoration? Did you confess your everlasting love to him? Did you embrace him with your affections?" He kept his grin from widing. "Did he return them in _satisfying_ measures?-"

"You're disgusting." She spat at him.

"I am merely wishing to have my curiosity sated," he replied.

"He told me that you were adopted," she stated. Loki's face twitched ever so slightly. She knew she had just taken the upper hand in this battle of wits.

Loki recovered smoothly. "Did he now? What else did he tell you?"

Jane opened her mouth but realized she could think of none. Loki knew the time for him to act on his purpose of having her in this dream was now.

"Did he mention why he was sent to Earth in the first place? Did he mention what happened to the Bifrost? How he _destroyed_ it? _Willingly_ destroyed the way back to Earth...and _you?_"

"Thor...Thor would never do that," Jane said disbelieving his words.

He gave out a sharp laugh. "_You_... do not know... _Thor_. You think three days of meeting him gives you a lifetime? Do you know that it was his arrogance and temper that got him _banished_ to Earth? And what happens? He finds a way to come _back _to Asgard and ruin _everything_..._EVERYTHING_ I planned."

His voice began to rasp as he inched closer to her once again. Jane felt her knees begin to shake and tears form in her eyes. "And you know what he did? He _choose_ to stay in Asgard...cutting off any attempt from seeing you AGAIN."

_No._ Jane mouthed; tears fell from her eyes and she couldn't see Loki's face clearly anymore.

"Oh _yes._" He said, refusing to stop. "And the _only _reason he returned to Earth was for the Tesseract and me. He had all means available to come back to Earth, even if it was at a cost, but he didn't use that power to come for _you_. I wager he wasn't even going to want to see you _again_!"

Jane dropped to her knees. His words cut deeper than any blade or gun could ever do.

"You're lying," her voice cracked through her tears.

His voice was low and calm. "Ask your beloved, Thor, and see if my words are of falsehood."

Her tears now flowed freely. It was the first time since Puente Antiguo she allowed her emotions to swallow her whole. She cried openly in front of him, unable to muster up the pride to stop herself. She hated it all. She hated SHIELD. She hated herself for falling for Thor. She hated believing his promises. His kiss. She hated herself being so stupid and naive. She hated herself believing these words.

And she hated Loki.

The muscles in her throat tightened and she covered her hands over her forehead. Loki paused in his verbal torture, allowing her tears to fill the night air.

"Please," she mustered without cracking her voice this time. "Please, just send me back."

Loki turned to her with a blank expression. He was expecting words of malice and hate and even tears...but the mortal surprised him with utter defeat in her voice. She simply had given up. Her entire wall that was there in the beginning of the conversation had crumbled down with his words. The purpose Loki had for this conversation was victorious, but Loki did not expect her to fall completely into the feeling of despair. Loki knew she loved Thor, but he didn't know the lengths of its roots over her heart until now.

"_Please._" She uttered under her breath.

Loki hesitated. He knew he could make her suffer more. He knew this as just the first step with his destruction of Thor. It was in his power to break her completely at this moment...but he decided to grant the mortal mercy. Loki's business with Jane had not ended yet...and he needed her to be in some state to hold herself together, even barely, in front of Thor when the time came.

With a wave of his hand the roof image began to sway in Jane's mind. She felt herself falling once again.

_Do not forget our deal...for we shall meet in person once again very soon, Miss Foster. _

And Jane's vision went black.

* * *

Jane herself falling for the third time again that day.

This time it wasn't into a sleep.

Or out of a sleep.

But physically falling.

She felt her body lift out of the mattress and tumble unto hard floor, with rocks and debris around her. Her ears were ringing and she ripped out the ear plugs. She groaned, feeling the flesh wound in her arm begin to bruise again. She opened her eyes to the bright light above her. A giant hole penetrated the ceiling above her. She realized she was no longer in the lab anymore, but now on the floor below it. Pipes and railings surrounded her. She heard a groan next to her.

Natasha laid trapped under a large foundation of the flooring that dropped. Jane's adrenaline kicked in and she crawled over to Natasha to help her. As she tried to lift the ceiling, it would not budge.

"Jane," Natasha rasped. Opening her eyes, the agent inhaled sharply.

Jane followed her eyes to see another body directly across from them, who was starting to twitch.

It was Doctor Banner...soon to be replaced by _the Hulk._

Jane looked back to Natasha, her eyes now equally the fear. "I can't leave you-"

"You will," Natasha ordered. "And you can."

She reached on the side of her good foot and upholstered her gun. "You know how to use this?"

Jane gave a shaky reply. Fury made sure she knew how to handle a weapon should she need it.

Natasha put it in Jane's hands. "Get to Loki's cell."

Banner made deep, and animalistic groan.

Their breathing both quickened.

"I-I can't," Jane said as she began to shake. "He planned this...I knew-"

"Jane-"

"I knew this would happen," Jane said feeling of the realization hit her. "It's my fault. He threaten me with-"

"-Doctor Selvig." Natasha finished. "I know, Jane." She sighed. "I should have pieced together sooner."

Jane felt her shame deepen.

"Look at me, Jane," Natasha ordered. "It doesn't matter now. You get to Loki and make sure he stays there."

Jane's mind reeled. The memories of her dream flooded back to her. The fear and defeat she had felt was still fresh in her mind...but she knew that if she didn't try to stop Loki, she would never forgive herself. She owed it to herself, to the team, and to Erik to stop him. She knew that he couldn't take her or threaten Erik if he was still trapped in the hellicarrier.

"Can you do it Jane?" Natasha rasped.

Jane knew her choice. _I have to try._ She thought. Jane nodded.

"Now go," Natasha commanded.

Jane stood up, swayed slightly and took off in the opposite direction. Beside her, she could see the muscles in Erik's back contract and tighten. A green color swirled underneath his skin. _Oh Bruce..._she thought with twinge of pity mixed with sadness.

"GO NOW." Natasha yelled. Jane didn't need another warning. She took off running into the main hallway.

Behind her, the sound of a deep and ear-piercing _ROAR_ erupted from where she once stood.

* * *

**A/N:** *dum dum dummmmmmm*

And now my favorite part of my 'Avengers' portion of this story is coming up :)) I can't believe it's almost here! I hope you will still love me after this cliff hanger because I can't wait to share the next update :) And I believe this chapter also ends my "on book" writing with the avengers portion (having large portions of dialogue from the movie). And yes, I do recognize Loki's coldness and hurt to Jane...but this dark portion of him is of his character and nature...especially at the current part of our story. And ugh I feel so bad for Thor right now :( Loki is being so mean to him. And I get if you think Jane is looking a bit weak here. But just yes I know...and if I was you I'd be thinking the same. But yes Jane hasn't talked to Thor yet due to timing and situation, and Loki used it to his advantage. don't worry, I am a strong believer in strong characters (for the right reasons) and Jane isn't put down just yet :) you'll see in the upcoming update(s)

Also, for updates on Tumblr, I will put my updates under the tag 'Redemption AC' so people can easily find it without having to search through the lokane tab. For the people that didn't see...I gave two insights and even released the title of this chapter on tumblr. I might even post a line or two in an upcoming update post... :)

And I'm thinking about giving a one-shot to the 100th reviewer (almost there ahhhhhh!). Of course it would be a Lokane oneshot...but it can be anything the reviewer would like...perhaps giving me a premise or something...or I can come up with something. (but no heavy slash requests please). Let the games begin :)

Side note...(because you know I give them)...I strongly recommend watching _The Hollow Crown_ (a 4 part mini series of Shakespeare's _Richard II, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, _and _Henry __V_. I just finished _Richard II,_ and it was amazing. I look forward to watching the next three because Tom is playing Prince Hal/Henry V :))

Update por next time...September? October? (just to be safe...again could update sooner...check the tumblr tag in case if I'm early or late on an update).

Thanks for reading!

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**Love it or hate it...please review!**


	9. The Truth Falls

**A/N:** Yahoo chapter nine!

(ignore the following apology if you read chapter 8 about 2 days after it went up) oh...my gosh...I made THE BIGGEST typo last chapter...I called Bruce..."Erik"

*face palm with a head butt to the wall*

So if you were confused in the lab scene that was only between Bruce, Tony, and Jane. Erik is still in zombie land working for Loki. UGH I'M SO SORRY. I had the biggest dumb writer's moment. I fixed it about a day after I posted the update...ugh...literally I feel like an idiot. So again I'm terribly sorry.

This chapter is a bit shorter b/c a.) I wanted to update b.) a wee bit of tension :) (Loki's evilness must attaching to me.)

I dedicate this chapter to my new beta, samanthalacey (aka samanthastar47 on tumblr). She did and absolutely AMAZING job. Like. I don't even know what to say. I am so taken aback by what she did to this chapter. It's like she peered into my mind and just perfected this chapter. She even titled this chapter because I could not for the life of me think of one...but she just gave it the perfect title and I was like YES. So round of an applause for her! THANK YOU!

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: No I do not own Thor. Marvel is still the king.

* * *

_Holy water cannot help you now_

_See I've come to burn your kingdom down_

_And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out_

_I'm gonna raise the stakes, I'm gonna smoke you out_

_-Seven Devils by Florence and the Machine_

* * *

_Chapter 9_

_~The Truth Falls~_

As the adrenaline began to pump faster into her system, the pain in Jane's old wound became dull to her senses. Her legs unsteady as she ran down the mechanical corridor. She had not run this hard in a long time. She finally made it to the main sector of the hallway. Agents shouting orders ran past her, but their faces became all a blur. She knew the helicarrier was losing altitude rapidly as she struggled with her footing. Fortunately, she memorized the map schematics earlier, so she knew there was only one sector that was off limits to her. In her mind, it had to be the only place that Loki could be kept prisoner. It was a hunch...but she had to take it, knowing the clock was running out, especially now that Bruce was no longer in control of himself.

Coming to the elevator, she noticed a soldier armed to the teeth guarding the elevator door. This sight confirmed her hunch.

"I need to use this elevator," she said as she caught her breath.

The officer was not fazed by her sudden appearance. "All agents should be proceeding in evacuation sequence 223. That does not include using this elevator."

"I have to get down there," Jane gulped with her breathing becoming heavier by the second.

"I'm afraid that information is classified ma'am-"

"Classified?" she questioned. "Do you think now is the time for 'classified' information?"

"Please step aside, ma'am."

"It's a matter of life or death!" She shouted over the alarm.

"Under no circumstances-"

"No circumstances?" she repeated with a cynical laugh. "Well I hope you don't mind explaining to Agent Romanov why you wouldn't let me follow orders."

The hesitation in the soldier's actions told Jane she knew she hit her mark.

"But then again, it's just the futures of every agent on board we are talking about here," she finished, proving her point.

He stepped to the side. His eyes remained leveled. "...Level R. Password: G1W799"

She did not bother to thank him as she ran to into the elevator and proceeded to punch in the numbers.

* * *

_Ding._

The elevator doors creaked open. Unlike the chaos that was in the floors above, this hallway was eerily silent. There was not a soul in sight. The only sound was the steady humming of the machinery. The hallway curved as if containing a large room around it. Jane took a cautious step out of the elevator. She gripped the gun in front of her so tightly that her hands began to tremble. The temperature was significantly colder as she could see the fog of her breath. Inch by inch Jane made her way forward until she came to an open archway on her right. With her gun cocked and the safety off, she took a deep breath and turned the corner into the archway, facing into the inside of the room.

The room was dimly lit. She could see a large glass container sitting in the circular room. Suddenly, the lights flickered on.

Her eyes made contact with the back of the figure standing in the center of the cell.

Jane gasped. It wasn't the correct Asgardian that was supposed to be standing in it.

"_Thor?_"

She lowered her gun and rushed into the room.

Thor turned around, and his eyes widened in surprise and fear. "Jane. Do not-"

A metal door slid down with a thud over the archway Jane just crossed.

Loki materialized in between the glass and Jane. He was dressed for battle, looking fully refreshed and recharged since his excursion in Germany. He gripped onto the scepter like they were never separated at all. She instinctively took a step back. Before she could blink, with a swipe of his hand, her gun dissipated into thin air, leaving her venerable to his presence.

"So kind of you to join us, Miss Foster," Loki jeered. "We were just speaking of you."

Loki grinned with the same smile that she had become accustomed to over the past two days. It was gentle, like a friend's smile would be, but underneath it was a viper waiting to strike. He knew far more about her than she wanted him to know.

She cursed herself silentlyfor her gullibility to not assume the worst had already happened.

"Why are you still here?" Jane asked as dispassionately as she could. She knew all she could do now was buy the Avengers some time to get the helicarrier back and functioning. Keeping Loki distracted was the only option she had.

Loki's eyes dipped menacingly. "Careful, Miss Foster...you forget your place."

"You leave her out of this, Loki!" Thor bellowed from inside the cell. He gripped the Mjolnir. "This is between you and I."

Loki concealed a smile. "Who says this isn't?"

Thor's lip twitched, but anger still coursed through his face. "She is innocent in this, brother."

"Is she?" Loki asked with a raise of his eyebrows. "We've had all sorts of fun...Haven't we Jane?"

Jane swallowed hard.

"Your lies mean nothing to me," Thor growled.

Loki paused, shoulder to shoulder with Jane and his back to Thor. Loki's smirk deepened.

"Should I tell him or you?" He whispered, throwing an incline of his head back to Thor.

Jane felt her lips tremble. She felt the lies of the past forty-eight hours start to weigh on her chest with the weight of a car.

Thor's voice cut through her mind. "What do you speak of, Loki?"

"Yes, Miss Foster," Loki echoed, turning the question to her. "What _do_ I speak of?"

She bit her lip and looked down at her feet, feeling the intense gaze of Thor searching her for answers to his puzzlement.

She looked up at Thor. He awaited her to answer, as did Loki.

"I-I had no choice, Thor..." Her voiced trembled. "I couldn't tell anyone about his visits to me...he made me swear... I would have told you...but...I didn't know what he would...what he would do..." Jane trailed off, overcome by the guilt as it leaked out of her system.

Thor reached for the glass to comfort her in some way. "Why didn't you come to me, Jane?" Thor asked gently. "I could have helped you."

She felt two-traitor tears fall from her eyes. "I wanted to... but he had Erik...I didn't know what he would do to him...or to me..."

Thor looked at Loki, forebodingly. "You threatened her?" Thor gripped the Mjolnir tightly. "You have reached a new level of wickedness even by your standards."

Loki placed a hand over his heart. "You wound me, _brother_," he sneered, "always assuming the worst of my actions. What makes you think I forced her to do anything?"

"You try my patience, Loki," Thor growled. "Jane's loyalties do not lie with you." `

Loki raised his brows. "...Are you certain about that?"

Thor glared at his brother, ignoring the jab. "I trust her with my life."

"After such a short amount of time knowing each other?" Loki said with a cross of his arms.

Thor did not hesitate. "Yes."

Loki pursed his lips. "And you, Miss Foster...what about you? Do your loyalties lie with Thor?"

She blinked. "Of course they do."

"Truly?" He asked again. Loki began to walk across in front of her. "It was not a mere hour ago you crumbled at my words concerning his past actions."

Thor was quickly becoming tired of Jane getting verbally attacked by his brother. "Explain yourself, Loki," Thor commanded. "What lies did you fill her head with?"

Loki chuckled darkly. "You believe I am lying? I told her nothing but the truth."

Thor let out a haughty breath. "Even your truths are wrapped in lies."

"Shall I prove my good honor, then?" Loki asked rhetorically. Thor didn't know whether to challenge him or let the subject be since he could not protect Jane physically from Loki.

"You see," Loki continued, circling Jane, "Miss Foster and I have already had this conversation...but I think she needs..._reassurance_...from the person of its subject-"

"Enough with the games, Loki!" Thor voice boomed so loudly that the glass vibrated. "What are you insinuating?"

"Tell me...did you ever tell her what happened to the Bifrost?"

Thor's angered expression faltered.

Loki intertwined his hands. "Nothing to say now?" Loki paused. "Was it not of your doing, Thor?"

Thor's jaw clenched, and Jane held her breath. She knew where Loki was heading with this topic, and now Thor had the chance to either denounce or confirm the accusations that Loki told her.

"Well?" Loki called them both back to the moment.

Thor watched his brother as he circled around to stand behind Jane. She did not turn, but Thor could see the uncertainty rise in her eyes at the presence of Loki behind her back.

"_Did_ you...or did you _not_ destroy the Bifrost?" Loki repeated.

Thor shifted his weight. "You gave me no choice-"

Loki's hand that held the scepter locked around Jane's neck so fast she almost fell to the ground. Thor stilled. Her head pounded with the orb so close to her face, and she could feel the blade's pressure on her throat. Her hands were locked around his arm, but it was no use. His grip was unbreakable.

"Ah ah ah," Loki clucked, pressing the blade harder on her throat, enough to make Jane's eyes widen. "A simple 'yes' or 'no' will suffice. Did you or did you not destroy the Bifrost?

Thor swallowed, and he looked at Jane with pleading eyes. "Yes."

"Yes what?" Loki asked, wanting to hear the words.

"...I destroyed the Bifrost."

"And what was the reason you returned to Earth?" Loki asked, not wanting to let it end there.

Thor's eyes found Loki's, but he remained still, unable to find words.

He gripped the scepter tighter as Jane struggled to breathe. "YOUR REASON, THOR!" Loki shouted, deafening Jane's ears.

Thor found Jane's eyes again. She saw the inner turmoil he was going through. "I cannot lie to you, Jane... I never planned to hurt you...and that if only there was more time..." He didn't finish the sentence but instead, looked at his brother again...coldly. "I came for the Tesseract...and to bring Loki to Asgard."

Jane closed her eyes, letting the words sink in. In her heart...she knew Thor was truthful in not wanting to hurt her...but the entire situation had just collapsed on both of them. She never wanted to lie, and neither did Thor...but they made their choices, and it was done with.

Loki grinned maniacally as he saw the pain on Thor's face as he watched his mortal react to his deeds first hand. He leaned forward and whispered to Jane, "You see, little one? Even the known liar can tell the truth from time to time."

"Only when it serves in your favor," Thor countered.

Loki chuckled and released his hold on Jane. She grasped her neck as Loki turned his attention to the control panel. She staggered foreword, catching her breath.

"You know me _too_ well," Loki taunted.

Jane stepped closer to the glass. Thor looked down at her with sad eyes. She wanted to speak...ask questions...get answers...know the full story...tell him her own...but she was out of words...and they were clearly out of time.

"Tell me brother," Loki called from the control module. "The humans think us immortal. Shall we test that?"

Jane's eye's widened. _He's not...he couldn't..._she believed Loki was keen on hurting Thor...but the thought of Loki being capable of killing his brother was ludicrous even to her. She looked into his eyes. The ice around his pupils and hardened expression told her that he was capable of murder. His actions had already proved that.

Looking at Jane, Loki raised the staff. Thor raised his hands to the glass and shouted in despair for Jane. She brought her hands up to her face, waiting for the heat and pain to come...but all was silent. She opened her eyes to see Loki staring at her with the scepter still pointed at her.

Loki merely looked at her with his cold eyes before speaking one chilling word.

"Beg."

"W-what?" She said, feeling her voice quiver.

"Get on your knees and beg for his life, little mortal."

She felt bile rise to her throat. It was bad enough that Loki had used her to hurt both her and Thor but now he wanted to kill her pride. She knew that if she did as he commanded...she would lose herself forever...but if she didn't both her life and Thor's would be forfeited.

"Plead your _king_ to be merciful," he said in an alluring tone.

His words were so kind and gentle and she felt tempted to give in. All she had to do was drop to her knees, and Thor could be saved. She could get out of here. She could live! The rational part of her brain began to pound into her thoughts. That was not her... Loki would still kill Thor, even if she didn't beg...wouldn't he? Her head began to spin. What was worse? Death of the body or death of free will?

Before she could make a decision, a voice emerged of a savior that none of them would have ever expected entered the room.

"Move away please."

Agent Coulson stood parallel to Loki who stood behind the control panel. In his hands, he carried the most impressive cannon gun Jane had ever seen...and apparently Loki as well. Loki looked into the gun's barrel and raised his hands away from the panel.

"Miss Foster," Coulson, said nodding in her direction. "If you would step behind me please."

Jane needed no further persuasion as she walked behind to Coulson.

"You like this?" Coulson asked Loki, referring to the gun. " We started working on the prototype after you sent The Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does."

Coulson unlatched the safety door on the weapon. It hummed to life. "You wanna find out?"

It only took Jane a moment to blink and see Loki now standing right next to her, behind Coulson with his scepter buried deep into the agent's back.

Thor let out a cry of anguish as he pounded a fist onto the glass. Jane fell to her knees as she managed to catch Phil in his fall. Loki stalked back to the control panel...shrugging to Thor, detached from the moment.

Thor watched as Jane attempted to nurse their friend. She placed her hands over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Thor knew the wound was too severe for Jane to handle. He sought to comfort Jane in words but found that it was only right that she shared in the last moments with the man.

Coulson smiled grimly at Jane who attempted to help. "Your file said nothing about med school training."

"Shut up, Coulson," she said through tears that formed in her eyes.

He blinked slowly. "I'm sorry I took your equipment the first time I met you."

Her hands began to shake. Coulson had never apologized on his orders from SHIELD. He supported everything they did...no matter how crazy. So for him to say that, it cut Jane's heart because she knew he meant it with much sincerity. Coulson had always been a pain in the ass...but he was everyone's pain in the ass... especially hers. He was the first person she met in SHIELD...and her first friend she made there. He was like the glue that kept all of SHIELD together. He was with SHIELD from the start...and Jane could not see him leaving now that this battle was just getting started.

The air lock beneath the cage opened. Jane felt the air swirl beneath her. She looked back at Thor who was preparing himself.

_Not yet._ She wanted to say. She searched frantically around the room for anything..._anything_ that could help._ Not now. _

Jane and Thor's eyes met. "I'm sorry, Jane," he murmured.

Her eyes filled with the tears she held back. _I'm sorry too._

But before she could speak the words, the glass box plummeted through the floor and out into Earth's atmosphere.

* * *

Loki snapped the button door shut with a flick of his finger. He stared into the pit through which Thor fell. Loki had been imaging this moment every waking second from the moment he fell into the abyss and thought all was lost. Ever since he was given a purpose back into his life...to rise as a king of a new world and vanquish Thor. It seemed like poetic justice to Loki that Thor's end came from a fall. The odds of Thor's survival were slim in such a prison crashing at that top level of a speed.

Loki felt the victory sink upon him. He defeated Thor. He crushed Thor's heart with the proper push of his mortal and sent him plunging to his death. Soon, earth would be Loki's and everything Thor held dear on this planet would be dead. He expected to have a feeling of relief, power, and satisfaction in this result of Thor's annihilation. Why shouldn't he? He was the victor this time and Thor the defeated. He should feel like the champion of this battle.

But as Loki peered into the empty depth of the space that stood before him...he didn't feel anything.

He felt _nothing_.

* * *

_A few hours later_

"They find her, yet?"

Tony Stark stood at the top level of the catwalk surrounding the empty space where the glass cell previously stood. "You saw the tapes," Tony said with a monotone voice. "After Thor's plunge...she was dragged out of here by his lackeys and on to his ship...bound for whatever destination he chartered."

Steve paused, looking at the broken wreckage around him. War was nothing but bloody and filled with death...he knew first hand. This knowledge however did not ease the pain of losing any comrade. "It's not your-"

"Cut the bullshit, Captain," Tony snapped. "I'm not in the mood for a shrink talk."

Rogers was silent. He didn't know the woman very well...but he knew Stark and her had known each other much longer and better since they worked in the lab. What Rogers didn't know was that silently Tony blamed himself for forcing Jane to take a nap before the outbreak or things might have ended much better for her than being at the clutches of Loki.

Rogers looked over to see a blood stain on one of the walls of the room. Deciding to not give up on Stark having some sort of normal reaction, Captain Steve Rogers decided to change the subject to the other fallen comrade. "Was he married?"

Tony flinched every so slightly but composed himself. "No. He was a uh...it was a cellist, I think."

"I'm sorry," Captain honestly said. "He seemed like a good man."

"He was an idiot," Tony snapped.

Rogers narrowed his eyes. "Why? For believing?"

"For taking on Loki alone."

Now Steve felt his anger return for Stark. "He was doing his job."

"Yeah well so was she," Tony barked back. "They were out of his league. They should have waited. They should have..."

"Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony."

"Right. How did that work for him?"

Rogers paused. "Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?"

"We are _not_ soldiers!" Tony growled coming up to Rogers. "I'm not marching to Fury's fife."

For once, Rogers agreed. "Neither am I. He's got the same blood on his hands that Loki does, but right now we gotta put that behind us and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list..."

Tony shook his head. "He made it personal."

"That's not the point-"

"That _is_ the point!" Tony exclaimed. "That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

Rogers caught on. "To tear us apart."

Tony nodded. "He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it. Jane was show and tell for Thor...now she's the prize...his little victory trophy..." He quieted himself, realizing what point he was about to make. "He wants an audience."

This time it was Rogers that nodded. "Right. I caught his act in Stuttgart."

"Yeah," Tony agreed. He now backed his way up the stairs. "That's just previews, this is..._this_ is opening night. And Loki, he's a full-tail diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered-"

Tony's face blanked. "Son of a bitch."

Rogers started after Stark as he walked out of the room. "Stark...what is it?"

Stark took out his custom phone and punching in a combination as he walked into the elevator.

Rogers caught up before the doors closed. "Stark-"

Tony smirked. "Gotcha, you bastard."

"What did you find?" Rogers became serious.

"The Prima Donna himself," Tony smirked. "With my thanks to the lovely Miss Jane Foster."

"I don't under-"

"Fury's paranoia paid off and gave me the confirmation I needed," Tony said showing the phone to Rogers.

Captain narrowed his eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Is that?-"

"Our dazzling astrophysicist in the flesh," Tony said with a flourish and triumphant smile. "Seen through the security feed of my penthouse in Stark Tower...knocked out...but alive."

"Wouldn't Loki have control over your place...including the camera feeds?" Roger asked.

"I programmed JARVIS to fly under the radar if the tower was ever under attack. They probably think they overrode my system...but I would feel insulted if my house was taken over by a little alien B and E."

"So what does Fury's paranoia have to do with Jane?" Roger asked.

Tony placed the phone back into his pocket. "Before Rudolf and the reindeer gang had the ship's memory wiped, Jarvis managed to find a tracking code linked to Jane found in Fury's personal file. She must have been bugged the moment she stepped onto the ship."

"So..." Captain said piecing it together. "You found her...which also means Loki."

Tony placed a hand on Cap's shoulder. "It's moments like these I find that some portions of your brain weren't frozen to bits after all those years in ice."

Rogers managed a glare as Tony walked out of the elevator.

Tony smiled as the elevator doors closed. "We have work to do, Cap."

* * *

**A/N: **Boom.

(the following couple blurbs is just me ranting on stuff! yayy so just skip to the endish paragraphs for update info if your not interested. lol I understand. I write/talk a lot).

WHOSE EXCITED FOR AGENTS OF SHIELD?! adfnlekbneotbn oh my gosh I've been waiting for this since it was announced. LONG LIVE COULSON.

And I'm hella pissed I still have yet to find an Empire magazine of Thor 2. I have been to barns and noble like everyday and calling and NOTHING. Ugh my efforts will not be thwarted. I shall not prevail in my efforts. I'll put a review of it on my tumblr when I get it.

TOM AND COOKIE MONSTER. HOLY SHIT THAT NEEDS TO BE ILLEGAL. And I just got my _Thor 2_ 3D 11pm early showing ticket for Nov. 7th! AHHHHHHHH IT'S COMING GUYS. Go buy tickets on fandango!

(Loki in slippers...ya I'm gonna leave it at that if you know what I'm talking about).

*puts on business tie and comes back to the subject of the fic*

I would like to have the next update _before_ Thor 2 (screams) premieres (November 8th for us Yanks...THANKS MARVEL.) After the next update (or two), the second part this fic will commence (YES WE ARE THERE GUYS). That being said, before I start this second part, I'd like to map it out/see Thor 2 for inspiration on setting and if an idea pops into my head (don't worry...I'm not leaving...remember, I still have one more update I am promising before November). Don't worry...just because I am seeing the new movie will not mean I will completely change this story...just looking for some inspiration, (plus new fic ideas. EEP).

SOOOO that being said (or if you skipped that paragraph lol)...my goal for next update is before or during early November...but I heading into a busy time with school..so check the #Remption AC tag on Tumblr for my updates on how Chapter 10 is faring!

REMEMBER...100th REVIEWER GETS A ONE SHOT! ALMOST THEREEEE :D (check the regulations I have for it in the last chapter).

Thank you again for reading. I am so humbled by your reviews/follows/favorites. Thank you for accepting me into this crazy universe we call Lokane. You guys push me to continue writing and tell stories. This fic gives me a chance to share my imagination and hear from such amazing readers.

Till next time my friends!

* * *

**Please review! I read and love ****_all_**** feedback!**


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